BiVO₄-Based Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Abstract

Growing sustainable energy demand has motivated the harvest of energy from sunlight in the form of chemical fuel (i.e., hydrogen). The photoelectrochemical technology is the most viable long-term approach to produce hydrogen by splitting water. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is emerging as one of the promising photoanode materials that oxidizes water into O2 under visible-light irradiation. This chapter provides a comprehensive review on the BiVO4, including crystal and electronic structure, optical properties, and the major limitations and strategies adapted. Several strategies include synthesis/fabrication methods, doping with metal and non-metal, heterojunction formation with metal oxide, and various oxygen evolution catalysts.