Journal Home > Volume 11 , Issue 12
Journal of Advanced Ceramics 2022, 11(12): 1873-1888 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-022-0653-8
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 29 November 2022

Oxygen vacancy-mediated WO3 phase junction to steering photogenerated charge separation for enhanced water splitting

Show Author's Information Huimin LI1,3,  Qianqian SHEN1,3( ),  Han ZHANG1,3,  Jiaqi GAO1,3,  Husheng JIA1,3,4,  Xuguang LIU1,  Qi LI5,  Jinbo XUE1,2( )
Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan 030032, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
Keywords:
phase transition, density functional theory (DFT), tungsten oxide, lattice mismatch, photoelectrocatalytic water splitting
Cite this article:
LI H, SHEN Q, ZHANG H, et al. Oxygen vacancy-mediated WO3 phase junction to steering photogenerated charge separation for enhanced water splitting. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2022, 11(12): 1873-1888. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-022-0653-8
Download citation
EndNote(RIS)
BibTeX

825

Views

66

Downloads

Citations

27

Crossref

23

WoS

20

Scopus

1

CSCD

Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

Effective charge separation and transfer is deemed to be the contributing factor to achieve high photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance on photoelectrodes. Building a phase junction structure with controllable phase transition of WO3 can further improve the photocatalytic performance. In this work, we realized the transition from orthorhombic to monoclinic by regulating the annealing temperatures, and constructed an orthorhombic–monoclinic WO3 (o-WO3/m-WO3) phase junction. The formation of oxygen vacancies causes an imbalance of the charge distribution in the crystal structure, which changes the W–O bond length and bond angle, accelerating the phase transition. As expected, an optimum PEC activity was achieved over the o-WO3/m-WO3 phase junction in WO3-450 photoelectrode, yielding the maximum O2 evolution rate roughly 32 times higher than that of pure WO3-250 without any sacrificial agents under visible light irradiation. The enhancement of catalytic activity is attributed to the atomically smooth interface with a highly matched lattice and robust built-in electric field around the phase junction, which leads to a less-defective and abrupt interface and provides a smooth interfacial charge separation and transfer path, leading to improved charge separation and transfer efficiency and a great enhancement in photocatalytic activity. This work strikes out on new paths in the formation of an oxygen vacancy-induced phase transition and provides new ideas for the design of catalysts.


menu
Abstract
Full text
Outline
Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Oxygen vacancy-mediated WO3 phase junction to steering photogenerated charge separation for enhanced water splitting

Show Author's information Huimin LI1,3, Qianqian SHEN1,3( ), Han ZHANG1,3, Jiaqi GAO1,3, Husheng JIA1,3,4, Xuguang LIU1, Qi LI5, Jinbo XUE1,2( )
Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials of Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan 030032, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China

Abstract

Effective charge separation and transfer is deemed to be the contributing factor to achieve high photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance on photoelectrodes. Building a phase junction structure with controllable phase transition of WO3 can further improve the photocatalytic performance. In this work, we realized the transition from orthorhombic to monoclinic by regulating the annealing temperatures, and constructed an orthorhombic–monoclinic WO3 (o-WO3/m-WO3) phase junction. The formation of oxygen vacancies causes an imbalance of the charge distribution in the crystal structure, which changes the W–O bond length and bond angle, accelerating the phase transition. As expected, an optimum PEC activity was achieved over the o-WO3/m-WO3 phase junction in WO3-450 photoelectrode, yielding the maximum O2 evolution rate roughly 32 times higher than that of pure WO3-250 without any sacrificial agents under visible light irradiation. The enhancement of catalytic activity is attributed to the atomically smooth interface with a highly matched lattice and robust built-in electric field around the phase junction, which leads to a less-defective and abrupt interface and provides a smooth interfacial charge separation and transfer path, leading to improved charge separation and transfer efficiency and a great enhancement in photocatalytic activity. This work strikes out on new paths in the formation of an oxygen vacancy-induced phase transition and provides new ideas for the design of catalysts.

Keywords: phase transition, density functional theory (DFT), tungsten oxide, lattice mismatch, photoelectrocatalytic water splitting

References(57)

[1]
Wang HL, Zhang LS, Chen ZG, et al. Semiconductor heterojunction photocatalysts: Design, construction, and photocatalytic performances. Chem Soc Rev 2014, 43: 5234–5244.
DOI Google Scholar
[2]
Kärkäs MD, Verho O, Johnston EV, et al. Artificial photosynthesis: Molecular systems for catalytic water oxidation. Chem Rev 2014, 114: 11863–12001.
DOI Google Scholar
[3]
Liu XQ, Iocozzia J, Wang Y, et al. Noble metal–metal oxide nanohybrids with tailored nanostructures for efficient solar energy conversion, photocatalysis and environmental remediation. Energy Environ Sci 2017, 10: 402–434.
DOI Google Scholar
[4]
Zhang GH, Zhang XQ, Meng Y, et al. Layered double hydroxides-based photocatalysts and visible-light driven photodegradation of organic pollutants: A review. Chem Eng J 2020, 392: 123684.
DOI Google Scholar
[5]
Hisatomi T, Kubota J, Domen K. Recent advances in semiconductors for photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting. Chem Soc Rev 2014, 43: 7520–7535.
DOI Google Scholar
[6]
Fujishima A, Honda K. Electrochemical photolysis of water at a semiconductor electrode. Nature 1972, 238: 37–38.
DOI Google Scholar
[7]
Dong ZB, Ding DY, Li T, et al. Ni-doped TiO2 nanotubes photoanode for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting. Appl Surf Sci 2018, 443: 321–328.
DOI Google Scholar
[8]
Wang ZL, Mao X, Chen P, et al. Understanding the roles of oxygen vacancies in hematite-based photoelectrochemical processes. Angew Chem Int Ed 2019, 58: 1030–1034.
DOI Google Scholar
[9]
Lukatskaya MR, Kota S, Lin ZF, et al. Ultra-high-rate pseudocapacitive energy storage in two-dimensional transition metal carbides. Nat Energy 2017, 2: 17105.
DOI Google Scholar
[10]
Zhang J, Wang T, Liu P, et al. Engineering water dissociation sites in MoS2 nanosheets for accelerated electrocatalytic hydrogen production. Energy Environ Sci 2016, 9: 2789–2793.
DOI Google Scholar
[11]
Sun M, Gao RT, He JL, et al. Photo-driven oxygen vacancies extends charge carrier lifetime for efficient solar water splitting. Angew Chem Int Ed 2021, 60: 17601–17607.
DOI Google Scholar
[12]
Liu XF, Zhou H, Pei SZ, et al. Oxygen-deficient WO3−x nanoplate array film photoanode for efficient photoelectrocatalytic water decontamination. Chem Eng J 2020, 381: 122740.
DOI Google Scholar
[13]
Tahir M, Tasleem S, Tahir B. Recent development in band engineering of binary semiconductor materials for solar driven photocatalytic hydrogen production. Int J Hydrogen Energ 2020, 45: 15985–16038.
DOI Google Scholar
[14]
Gao JQ, Xue JB, Jia SF, et al. Self-doping surface oxygen vacancy-induced lattice strains for enhancing visible light-driven photocatalytic H2 evolution over black TiO2. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021, 13: 18758–18771.
DOI Google Scholar
[15]
Gao JQ, Xue JB, Shen QQ, et al. A promoted photocatalysis system trade-off between thermodynamic and kinetic via hierarchical distribution dual-defects for efficient H2 evolution. Chem Eng J 2022, 431: 133281.
DOI Google Scholar
[16]
Zhang J, Xu Q, Feng ZC, et al. Importance of the relationship between surface phases and photocatalytic activity of TiO2. Angew Chem Int Ed 2008, 47: 1766–1769.
DOI Google Scholar
[17]
Wang X, Xu Q, Li MR, et al. Back cover: Photocatalytic overall water splitting promoted by an α–β phase junction on Ga2O3 (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 52/2012). Angew Chem Int Ed 2012, 51: 13180.
DOI Google Scholar
[18]
Shen QQ, Xue JB, Li Y, et al. Construction of CdSe polymorphic junctions with coherent interface for enhanced photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen generation. Appl Catal B Environ 2021, 282: 119552.
DOI Google Scholar
[19]
Fu Q, Wang XJ, Han JC, et al. Phase-junction electrocatalysts towards enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media. Angew Chem Int Ed 2021, 60: 259–267.
DOI Google Scholar
[20]
Liu FL, Shi R, Wang Z, et al. Direct Z-scheme hetero-phase junction of black/red phosphorus for photocatalytic water splitting. Angew Chem Int Ed 2019, 58: 11791–11795.
DOI Google Scholar
[21]
Zhao Y, Balasubramanyam S, Sinha R, et al. Tuning structural properties of WO3 thin films for photoelectrocatalytic water oxidation. ACS Appl Energy Mater 2018, 1: 5887–5895.
DOI Google Scholar
[22]
Tian W, Chen C, Meng LX, et al. PVP treatment induced gradient oxygen doping in In2S3 nanosheet to boost solar water oxidation of WO3 nanoarray photoanode. Adv Energy Mater 2020, 10: 1903951.
DOI Google Scholar
[23]
Tatsuma T, Saitoh S, Ohko Y, et al. TiO2–WO3 photoelectrochemical anticorrosion system with an energy storage ability. Chem Mater 2001, 13: 2838–2842.
DOI Google Scholar
[24]
Sadeghzadeh-Attar A. Photocatalytic degradation evaluation of N–Fe codoped aligned TiO2 nanorods based on the effect of annealing temperature. J Adv Ceram 2020, 9: 107–122.
DOI Google Scholar
[25]
Zheng HD, Ou JZ, Strano MS, et al. Nanostructured tungsten oxide—Properties, synthesis, and applications. Adv Funct Mater 2011, 21: 2175–2196.
DOI Google Scholar
[26]
Zhan FQ, Liu Y, Wang KK, et al. Oxygen-deficient nanofiber WO3−x/WO3 homojunction photoanodes synthesized via a novel metal self-reducing method. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2019, 11: 39951–39960.
DOI Google Scholar
[27]
Wang N, Zhu J, Zheng XJ, et al. A facile two-step method for fabrication of plate-like WO3 photoanode under mild conditions. Faraday Discuss 2014, 176: 185–197.
DOI Google Scholar
[28]
Wang JC, Zhou TS, Zhang Y, et al. The design of high performance photoanode of CQDs/TiO2/WO3 based on DFT alignment of lattice parameter and energy band, and charge distribution. J Colloid Interf Sci 2021, 600: 828–837.
DOI Google Scholar
[29]
Idris MS, Osman RAM. Structure refinement strategy of Li-based complex oxides using GSAS–EXPGUI software package. Adv Mater Res 2013, 795: 479–482.
DOI Google Scholar
[30]
Yan JQ, Wang T, Wu GJ, et al. Tungsten oxide single crystal nanosheets for enhanced multichannel solar light harvesting. Adv Mater 2015, 27: 1580–1586.
DOI Google Scholar
[31]
Zeng QY, Li JH, Bai J, et al. Preparation of vertically aligned WO3 nanoplate array films based on peroxotungstate reduction reaction and their excellent photoelectrocatalytic performance. Appl Catal B Environ 2017, 202: 388–396.
DOI Google Scholar
[32]
Zhang XH, Lu XH, Shen YQ, et al. Three-dimensional WO3 nanostructures on carbon paper: Photoelectrochemical property and visible light driven photocatalysis. Chem Commun 2011, 47: 5804–5806.
DOI Google Scholar
[33]
Li YT, Liu ZF, Li JW, et al. An effective strategy of constructing a multi-junction structure by integrating a heterojunction and a homojunction to promote the charge separation and transfer efficiency of WO3. J Mater Chem A 2020, 8: 6256–6267.
DOI Google Scholar
[34]
Zhao FF, Sheng HX, Sun QP, et al. Harvesting the infrared part of solar light to promote charge transfer in Bi2S3/WO3 photoanode for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting. J Colloid Interf Sci 2022, 621: 267–274.
DOI Google Scholar
[35]
Tian H, Cui XZ, Zeng LM, et al. Oxygen vacancy-assisted hydrogen evolution reaction of the Pt/WO3 electrocatalyst. J Mater Chem A 2019, 7: 6285–6293.
DOI Google Scholar
[36]
Wei Z, Wang WC, Li WL, et al. Steering electron–hole migration pathways using oxygen vacancies in tungsten oxides to enhance their photocatalytic oxygen evolution performance. Angew Chem Int Ed 2021, 60: 8236–8242.
DOI Google Scholar
[37]
Owens-Baird B, Xu JY, Petrovykh DY, et al. NiP2: A story of two divergent polymorphic multifunctional materials. Chem Mater 2019, 31: 3407–3418.
DOI Google Scholar
[38]
Niu MT, Huang F, Cui LF, et al. Hydrothermal synthesis, structural characteristics, and enhanced photocatalysis of SnO2/α-Fe2O3 semiconductor nanoheterostructures. ACS Nano 2010, 4: 681–688.
DOI Google Scholar
[39]
Liu JF, Wang FF, Chen XB, et al. Unraveling the lattice matching effect in surface phase junctions for interfacial charge separation. J Phys Chem C 2021, 125: 14188–14194.
DOI Google Scholar
[40]
Zhou WW, Cheng CW, Liu JP, et al. Epitaxial growth of branched α-Fe2O3/SnO2 nano-heterostructures with improved lithium-ion battery performance. Adv Funct Mater 2011, 21: 2439–2445.
DOI Google Scholar
[41]
Song JJ, Huang ZF, Pan L, et al. Oxygen-deficient tungsten oxide as versatile and efficient hydrogenation catalyst. ACS Catal 2015, 5: 6594–6599.
DOI Google Scholar
[42]
Yang WY, Chen Y, Gao S, et al. Post-illumination activity of Bi2WO6 in the dark from the photocatalytic “memory” effect. J Adv Ceram 2021, 10: 355–367.
DOI Google Scholar
[43]
Gao JQ, Shen QQ, Guan RF, et al. Oxygen vacancy self-doped black TiO2 nanotube arrays by aluminothermic reduction for photocatalytic CO2 reduction under visible light illumination. J CO2 Util 2020, 35: 205–215.
DOI Google Scholar
[44]
Wu J, Li LY, Li XA, et al. A novel 2D graphene oxide modified α-AgVO3 nanorods: Design, fabrication, and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance. J Adv Ceram 2022, 11: 308–320.
DOI Google Scholar
[45]
Fan LL, Lei SL, Kheimeh Sari HM, et al. Controllable S-vacancies of monolayered Mo–S nanocrystals for highly harvesting lithium storage. Nano Energy 2020, 78: 105235.
DOI Google Scholar
[46]
Corby S, Francàs L, Kafizas A, et al. Determining the role of oxygen vacancies in the photoelectrocatalytic performance of WO3 for water oxidation. Chem Sci 2020, 11: 2907–2914.
DOI Google Scholar
[47]
Yang YR, Chen JM, Liu XL, et al. Oxygen vacancy-mediated WO3 nanosheets by etched {200} facets and the efficient visible-light photocatalytic oxygen evolution. New J Chem 2019, 43: 16391–16395.
DOI Google Scholar
[48]
Sotelo-Vazquez C, Quesada-Cabrera R, Ling M, et al. Evidence and effect of photogenerated charge transfer for enhanced photocatalysis in WO3/TiO2 heterojunction films: A computational and experimental study. Adv Funct Mater 2017, 27: 1605413.
DOI Google Scholar
[49]
Liu JJ. Origin of high photocatalytic efficiency in monolayer g-C3N4/CdS heterostructure: A hybrid DFT study. J Phys Chem C 2015, 119: 28417–28423.
DOI Google Scholar
[50]
Jiang LS, Li J, Li Y, et al. Promoted charge separation from nickel intervening in [Bi2O2]2+ layers of Bi2O2S crystals for enhanced photocatalytic CO2 conversion. Appl Catal B Environ 2021, 294: 120249.
DOI Google Scholar
[51]
Li Y, Mei Q, Liu ZJ, et al. Fluorine-doped iron oxyhydroxide cocatalyst: Promotion on the WO3 photoanode conducted photoelectrochemical water splitting. Appl Catal B Environ 2022, 304: 120995.
DOI Google Scholar
[52]
Peng JJ, Shen J, Yu XH, et al. Construction of LSPR-enhanced 0D/2D CdS/MoO3−x S-scheme heterojunctions for visible-light-driven photocatalytic H2 evolution. Chinese J Catal 2021, 42: 87–96.
DOI Google Scholar
[53]
Li Y, Xue JB, Shen QQ, et al. Construction of a ternary spatial junction in yolk–shell nanoreactor for efficient photo-thermal catalytic hydrogen generation. Chem Eng J 2021, 423: 130188.
DOI Google Scholar
[54]
Zhang GH, Yuan XX, Xie B, et al. S vacancies act as a bridge to promote electron injection from Z-scheme heterojunction to nitrogen molecule for photocatalytic ammonia synthesis. Chem Eng J 2022, 433: 133670.
DOI Google Scholar
[55]
Jin PX, Wang L, Ma XL, et al. Construction of hierarchical ZnIn2S4@PCN-224 heterojunction for boosting photocatalytic performance in hydrogen production and degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride. Appl Catal B Environ 2021, 284: 119762.
DOI Google Scholar
[56]
Li Y, Wang QZ, Hu XS, et al. Constructing NiFe-metal–organic frameworks from NiFe-layered double hydroxide as a highly efficient cocatalyst for BiVO4 photoanode PEC water splitting. Chem Eng J 2022, 433: 133592.
DOI Google Scholar
[57]
Li YT, Liu ZF, Guo ZG, et al. Efficient WO3 photoanode modified by Pt layer and plasmonic Ag for enhanced charge separation and transfer to promote photoelectrochemical performances. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 2019, 7: 12582–12590.
DOI Google Scholar
File
40145_0653_ESM.pdf (1.5 MB)
Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Rights and permissions

Publication history

Received: 28 June 2022
Revised: 11 August 2022
Accepted: 29 August 2022
Published: 29 November 2022
Issue date: December 2022

Copyright

© The Author(s) 2022.

Acknowledgements

The financial support is gratefully acknowledged from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 62004137, 21878257, and 21978196), Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province (Grant No. 20210302123102), Key Research and Development Program of Shanxi Province (Grant No. 201803D421079), Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (Grant No. 2019L0156), Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering (Grant No. 2022SX-TD002), Shanxi Provincial Key Innovative Research Team in Science and Technology (Grant No. 201605D13104510), and Research Project Supported by Shanxi Scholarship Council of China (Grant No. 2020-050).

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.

The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.

To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Return