Ultrafast Deposition of NiFe Metal‐organic Framework Catalysts Boosts BiVO4 Photoanode for Efficient Solar Water Splitting

Abstract

AbstractThe severe photocorrosion of BiVO4 limits its application in solar energy conversion in the long‐term photoelectrochemical stability test. Herein, we synthesized a Fe@Ni‐MOFs/BiVO4 photoanode by a simple ultrasonic method and ultrafast deposition, which avoids the problems of damaging the surface structure of photoelectrode. The Fe@Ni‐MOFs/BiVO4 shows a photocurrent density of 4.89 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE with an onset potential of 0.25 VRHE under one sun illumination. Importantly, a stability over 30 h at 0.7 VRHE can be obtained, which is so far the best stability character for MOFs‐based cocatalysts decorated on BiVO4. During operation, Fe@Ni‐MOFs transforms into a homogeneous and active hydroxide layer covering the surface, which exposes more active sites for OER reactions. This work demonstrates a simple strategy for MOFs co‐catalysts to obtain fast hole transfer capability and reduce carrier recombination, thereby improving PEC performance.