BiVO₄/TiO₂ core-shell heterostructure: wide range optical absorption and enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance

Mehta, Mannan; Krishnamurthy, Satheesh; Basu, Suddhasatwa; Nixon, Tony P. and Singh, Aadesh P. (2020). BiVO₄/TiO₂ core-shell heterostructure: wide range optical absorption and enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance. Materials Today Chemistry, 17, article no. 100283.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtchem.2020.100283

Abstract

In the present study, pristine BiVO₄, TiO₂ and BiVO₄/TiO₂ core-shell heterostructured nanoparticles are prepared by hydrothermal methods and studied for structural, morphological, optical, photoelectrochemical water splitting and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue as an organic pollutant. Both pristine BiVO₄ and TiO₂ exhibit poor PEC and PC performance under visible light illumination. However, an enhanced PEC and PC activity in BiVO₄/TiO₂ core-shell heterostructure is observed due to high solar energy absorption and superior charge separation properties in core-shell nanoparticles. The photoelectrode prepared using BiVO₄, TiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles exhibit a photocathode behavior and produced cathodic photocurrent, however, the pristine BiVO₄ and TiO₂ photoelectrodes act as photoanode and produced anodic photocurrent. This behavior of change in current direction is also observe in the Mott-Schottky analysis where the BiVO₄, TiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles photoelectrode exhibits the positive slow showing p-type semiconducting behavior. The change in cathodic photoresponse in core-shell nanoparticles in comparison to anodic photoresponse of BiVO₄ and TiO₂ nanoparticles is explained in terms of the variations in the work function values. These results highlight the advantages of core-shell nanoparticle of suitable materials for photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical applications.

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