BiOI/WO3 photoanode with enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting activity

Abstract

This work reports on a novel BiOI/WO3 composite photoanode, which was fabricated by depositing BiOI onto a WO3 nanoflake electrode through a electrodeposition method. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity of the BiOI/WO3 electrode for water splitting under visible-light irradiation was evaluated. The results show that the BiOI/WO3 photoanode achieved a photocurrent density of 1.21 mA·cm–2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which was higher than that of the bare WO3 nanoflake electrode (0.67 mA·cm–2). The enhanced PEC acticity of BiOI/WO3 for water splitting can be attributed to the expansion of light absorption range as well as the facilitated separation of photo-generated carriers.