Operando IR Optical Control of Localized Charge Carriers in BiVO₄ Photoanodes.

ABSTRACT: In photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) the photon-to-current conversion efficiency is often governed by carrier transport. Most metal oxides used in PECs exhibit thermally activated transport due to charge localization via the formation of polarons or the interaction with defects. This impacts catalysis by restricting the charge accumulation and extraction. To overcome this transport bottleneck nanostructuring, selective doping and photothermal treatments have been employed. Here we demonstrate an alternative approach capable of directly activating localized carriers in bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄). We show that IR photons can optically excite localized charges, modulate their kinetics, and enhance the PEC current. Moreover, we track carriers bound to oxygen vacancies and expose their

SUBMITTER: Meng Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10436276 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature