Ru-CoFe-LDH Nanosheets Enhance Charge Separation in BiVO4 for Efficient Solar Water Splitting
Researchers have developed Ru-CoFe-LDH nanosheets to enhance the efficiency of BiVO4 photoanodes for solar water splitting, achieving a photocurrent density of 4.51 mA/cm²—3.1 times greater than bare BiVO4. The incorporation of Ru sites improved charge separation and lowered the onset potential for water oxidation, while stability tests showed 81% performance retention after 30 minutes. DFT calculations indicated that Ru modifies charge distribution, facilitating oxygen evolution reactions.
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The Ru-CoFe-LDH nanosheets, containing 0.51 wt% Ru, were synthesized for integration into a BiVO4 photoanode to improve solar water splitting efficiency. Characterization techniques including SEM, TEM, and XRD confirmed the structural integrity and atomic dispersion of Ru on CoFe-LDH.
The photoanode exhibited the highest photocurrent density of 4.51 mA/cm² at 1.23 V vs. RHE, outperforming bare BiVO4 by 3.1 times. The introduction of Ru sites lowered the onset potential for water oxidation, enhancing charge transfer and separation efficiency, with a maximum applied bias photon-to-current efficiency of 1.55%.
Stability tests indicated that Ru-CoFe-LDH maintained performance with 81% retention after 30 minutes, while hydrogen and oxygen production reached 158.6 and 67.4 μmol, respectively, after 140 minutes. DFT calculations suggested that Ru significantly alters charge distribution, reducing energy barriers for oxygen evolution reactions.
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