BiVO4/WO3/SnO2 Double-Heterojunction Photoanode with Enhanced Charge Separation and Visible-Transparency for Bias-Free Solar Water-Splitting with a Perovskite Solar Cell

Abstract

Coupling dissimilar oxides in heterostructures allows the engineering of interfacial, optical, charge separation/transport and transfer properties of photoanodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Here, we demonstrate a double-heterojunction concept based on a BiVO₄/WO₃/SnO₂ triple-layer planar heterojunction (TPH) photoanode, which shows simultaneous improvements in the charge transport (∼93% at 1.23 V vs RHE) and transmittance at longer wavelengths (>500 nm). The TPH photoanode was prepared by a facile solution method: a porous SnO₂ film was first deposited on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/glass substrate followed by WO₃ deposition, leading to the formation of a double layer of dense WO₃ and a WO₃/SnO₂ mixture at the bottom. Subsequently, a BiVO₄ nanoparticle film was deposited by spin coating. Importantly, the WO₃/(WO₃+SnO₂) composite bottom layer forms a disordered heterojunction, enabling intimate contact, lower interfacial resistance, and efficient charge transport/transfer. In addition, the top BiVO₄/WO₃ heterojunction layer improves light absorption and charge separation. The resultant TPH photoanode shows greatly improved internal quantum efficiency (∼80%) and PEC water oxidation performance (∼3.1 mA/cm² at 1.23 V vs RHE) compared to the previously reported BiVO₄/WO₃ photoanodes. The PEC performance was further improved by a reactive-ion etching treatment and CoO_x electrocatalyst deposition. Finally, we demonstrated a bias-free and stable solar water-splitting by constructing a tandem PEC device with a perovskite solar cell (STH ∼3.5%).

Keywords: BiVO4/WO3/SnO2; charge transport; double-heterojunction photoanode; tandem PEC device; transmittance.