Photoelectrochemical water splitting via solar irradiation has garnered significant interest due to
its potential in large-scale renewable hydrogen production. Heterostructure materials have
emerged as an effective strategy, demonstrating enhanced performance in photoelectrochemical
water-splitting applications compared to individual ...
Photoelectrochemical water splitting via solar irradiation has garnered significant interest due to
its potential in large-scale renewable hydrogen production. Heterostructure materials have
emerged as an effective strategy, demonstrating enhanced performance in photoelectrochemical
water-splitting applications compared to individual photocatalysts. In this study, to augment the
performance of sprayed TiVO4 thin films, a hydrothermally prepared WO3 underlayer was integrated beneath the spray pyrolised TiVO4 film. The consequent heterostructure demonstrated
notable enhancements in optical, structural, microstructural attributes, and photocurrent properties. This improvement is attributed to the strategic deposition of WO3 underlayer, forming a
heterostructure composite electrode. This led to a marked increase in photocurrent density for the
WO3/TiVO4 photoanode, reaching a peak of 740 μA/cm2 at an applied potential of 1.23 V vs RHE,
about nine-fold that of standalone TiVO4. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed a
reduced semicircle for the heterostructure, indicating improved charge transfer compared to bare
TiVO4. The heterostructure photoelectrode exhibited enhanced charge carrier conductivity at the
interface and sustained stability over 3 h. The distinct attributes of heterostructure photoelectrode present significant opportunities for devising highly efficient sunlight-driven water splitting systems.