Oxygen vacancy induced defect dipoles in BiVO₄ for photoelectrocatalytic partial oxidation of methane.

ABSTRACT: A strong driving force for charge separation and transfer in semiconductors is essential for designing effective photoelectrodes for solar energy conversion. While defect engineering and polarization alignment can enhance this process, their potential interference within a photoelectrode remains unclear. Here we show that oxygen vacancies in bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) can create defect dipoles due to a disruption of symmetry. The modified photoelectrodes exhibit a strong correlation between charge separation and transfer capability and external electrical poling, which is not seen in unmodified samples. Applying poling at -150 Volt boosts charge separation and transfer efficiency to over 90%. A photocurrent density of 6.3 mA cm^-2 is achieved on the photoelectrode after

SUBMITTER: Li X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11499990 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature