Interface-engineered Z-scheme of BiVO4/g-C3N4 photoanode for boosted photoelectrochemical water splitting and organic contaminant elimination under solar light

Pratik Mane; Hyojung Bae; Vishal Burungale; Sang-Wha Lee; Mrinmoy Misra; Harichandra Parbat; Abhijit N Kadam; Jun-Seok Ha

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136166

Interface-engineered Z-scheme of BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ photoanode for boosted photoelectrochemical water splitting and organic contaminant elimination under solar light

Chemosphere. 2022 Dec;308(Pt 1):136166. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136166. Epub 2022 Aug 26.

Authors

Pratik Mane¹, Hyojung Bae², Vishal Burungale¹, Sang-Wha Lee³, Mrinmoy Misra⁴, Harichandra Parbat⁵, Abhijit N Kadam⁶, Jun-Seok Ha⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea.
² School of Chemical Engineering, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea; Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, San 65, Bokjeong-Dong, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi-do, 461-701, South Korea.
⁴ Mechatronics Engineering Department, School of Automobile, Mechanical and Mechatronics, Manipal University Jaipur, India.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, John Wilson Education Society's, Wilson College (Autonomous), Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400007, India.
⁶ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, San 65, Bokjeong-Dong, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi-do, 461-701, South Korea; Department of Chemistry, John Wilson Education Society's, Wilson College (Autonomous), Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400007, India. Electronic address: abhikadamchem@gmail.com.
⁷ School of Chemical Engineering, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea; Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jsha@jnu.ac.kr.

PMID: 36037961
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136166

Abstract

Although n-type bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) is regarded as an attractive solar-light-active photoanode, its short carrier-diffusion length, sluggish oxidation kinetics, low electronic conductivity, and high recombination rate are the major intrinsic shortcomings that limit its practical application. To this end, the rational design of a solar-light-active, metal-free BiVO₄-based Z-scheme heterojunction photoanode is of great significance for achieving effective charge-separation features and maximum light utilization as well as boosting redox activity for efficient environmental treatment and photoelectrochemical water splitting. Herein, we propose a facile approach for the decoration of metal-free graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets on BiVO₄ to form a Z-scheme BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ photoanode with boosted photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting and rapid photoelectrocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye under simulated solar light. The successful preparation of the Z-scheme BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ photoanode was confirmed by comprehensive structural, morphological, and optical analyses. Compared with the moderate photocurrent density of bare BiVO₄ (0.39 mA cm^-2), the Z-scheme BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ photoanode yields a notable photocurrent density of 1.14 mA cm^-2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE (≈3-fold higher) with the promising long-term stability of 5 h without any significant photo-corrosion. Moreover, the PEC dye-degradation studies revealed that the Z-scheme BiVO₄/g-C₃N₄ photoanode successfully degraded MO (≈90%) in 75 min, signifying a 30% improvement over bare BiVO₄. This research paves the way for rational interface engineering of solar-light-active BiVO₄-based noble-metal-free Z-schemes for eco-friendly PEC water splitting and water remediation.

Keywords: Bismuth vanadate; Photoelectrochemical water splitting; Solar light; Water remediation; Z-scheme.