Bismuth vanadate has recently emerged as a promising photoanode material for solar water splitting applications. Reports on unmodified BiVO4 showed large variations in photocurrent generation. We prepared BiVO4 photoanodes with different chemical surface compositions and morphologies by electrodeposition and spin coating. We devised an electrodeposition procedure with iodide added to the plating bath; this way, we could obtain BiVO4 films with matching thicknesses and control surface Bi/V ratios. Morphologies were quantified from scanning microscopy image analysis. Smaller crystallites were synthesized by spin coating. We correlated chemical surface composition and morphology to photocurrent densities and observed trends only from bivariate data. Best photoelectrochemical performance required low surface Bi/V ratios, short distances to crystallites' edges, and crystallite areas that were small enough to provide good electrical contact to the FTO underneath yet sufficiently large to prevent mass transport limitations.

Factors affecting bismuth vanadate photoelectrochemical performance

248th National Meeting (2014)

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