In this section
@article{Li:2025:10.1021/acsaem.5c02686,
author = {Li, H and Lin, Z and Guo, F and Li, S and Kafizas, A and Blackman, CS and Carmalt, CJ},
doi = {10.1021/acsaem.5c02686},
journal = {ACS Applied Energy Materials},
pages = {17334--17345},
title = {Spatially engineered WO nanofibers on BivO: a route to high-efficiency photoelectrochemical water splitting},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.5c02686},
volume = {8},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - This study employs aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) to fabricate WO3/BiVO4 heterojunction photoanodes with an inverted architecture (WO3 atop BiVO4). The unique permeable nanofiber morphology of WO3 provides a solution to enhance water oxidation performance. By correlating precursor volume (10–40 mL) and spatial position within the deposition chamber (inlet/mid/outlet) with film properties, we demonstrate that a midreactor position yields “grass-like” WO3 nanofibers (diameter: 100–230 nm, length: 3.5–3.98 μm), enabling dual functionality: (i) > 50% light transmittance to the underlying BiVO4 absorber, and (ii) electrolyte penetration into the heterointerface between WO3 and BiVO4. In contrast, rod-like WO3 produced near the inlet causes severe light scattering, reducing the incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) by six times above wavelengths of 350 nm. Optimized samples, produced with a deposition volume of 30 mL to deposit WO3 atop of BiVO4 positioned in the middle of the deposition chamber (i.e., WO3-30/BiVO4-mid), achieve a photocurrent density of 0.82 mA·cm–2 at 1.23 VRHE under 1 sun irradiance, which is 121% higher than single-layer BiVO4 (0.37 mA·cm–2) and exceeds some conventional WO3-under/BiVO4 heterojunctions in which WO3 is underneath BiVO4. Transient absorption spectroscopy confirms prolonged carrier lifetimes in our unique heterostructure through improved charge-carrier separation. This work challenges current traditional heterojunction design rules for the WO3/BiVO4 system by showcasing how permeable WO3 nanostructures atop BiVO4 photoanodes can improve light harvesting and facilitate charge-carrier separation to significantly improve activity.
AU - Li,H
AU - Lin,Z
AU - Guo,F
AU - Li,S
AU - Kafizas,A
AU - Blackman,CS
AU - Carmalt,CJ
DO - 10.1021/acsaem.5c02686
EP - 17345
PY - 2025///
SN - 2574-0962
SP - 17334
TI - Spatially engineered WO nanofibers on BivO: a route to high-efficiency photoelectrochemical water splitting
T2 - ACS Applied Energy Materials
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.5c02686
UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.5c02686
VL - 8
ER -
Dr. Andreas Kafizas
Leader - Solar Coatings Group
e-mail: a.kafizas@imperial.ac.uk
tel: +44(0)20 7594 6752
twitter: @CoatingsSolar