Dual functional WO<inf>3</inf>/BiVO<inf>4</inf> heterostructures for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting and glycerol degradation
Issued Date
2023-06-22
Resource Type
eISSN
20462069
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85164259884
Journal Title
RSC Advances
Volume
13
Issue
27
Start Page
18974
End Page
18982
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
RSC Advances Vol.13 No.27 (2023) , 18974-18982
Suggested Citation
Peerakiatkhajohn P., Yun J.H., Butburee T., Lyu M., Takoon C., Thaweesak S. Dual functional WO<inf>3</inf>/BiVO<inf>4</inf> heterostructures for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting and glycerol degradation. RSC Advances Vol.13 No.27 (2023) , 18974-18982. 18982. doi:10.1039/d3ra02691d Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/87955
Title
Dual functional WO<inf>3</inf>/BiVO<inf>4</inf> heterostructures for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting and glycerol degradation
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Dual functional heterojunctions of tungsten oxide and bismuth vanadate (WO3/BiVO4) photoanodes are developed and their applications in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting and mineralization of glycerol are demonstrated. The thin-film WO3/BiVO4 photoelectrode was fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method. The morphology, chemical composition, crystalline structure, chemical state, and optical absorption properties of the WO3/BiVO4 photoelectrodes were characterized systematically. The WO3/BiVO4 photoelectrode exhibits a good distribution of elements and a well-crystalline monoclinic WO3 and monoclinic scheelite BiVO4. The light-absorption spectrum of the WO3/BiVO4 photoelectrodes reveals a broad absorption band in the visible light region with a maximum absorption of around 520 nm. The dual functional WO3/BiVO4 photoelectrodes achieved a high photocurrent density of 6.85 mA cm−2, which is 2.8 times higher than that of the pristine WO3 photoelectrode in the presence of a mixture of 0.5 M Na2SO4 and 0.5 M glycerol electrolyte under AM 1.5 G (100 mW cm−2) illumination. The superior PEC performance of the WO3/BiVO4 photoelectrode was attributed to the synergistic effects of the superior crystal structure, light absorption, and efficient charge separation. Simultaneously, glycerol plays an essential role in increasing the efficiency of hydrogen production by suppressing charge recombination in the water redox reaction. Moreover, the WO3/BiVO4 photoelectrode shows the total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency of glycerol at about 82% at 120 min. Notably, the WO3/BiVO4 photoelectrode can be a promising photoelectrode for simultaneous hydrogen production and mineralization of glycerol with a simple, economical, and environmentally friendly approach.