Modifying the Electron-Trapping Process at the BiVO₄ Surface States via the TiO₂ Overlayer for Enhanced Water Oxidation

BiVO4 is one of the most promising photoanode candidates to achieve high-efficiency water splitting. However, overwhelming charge recombination at the interface limits its water oxidation activity. In this study, we show that the water oxidation activity of the BiVO4 photoanode is significantly boosted by the TiO2 overlayer prepared by atomic layer deposition. With a TiO2 overlayer of an optimized thickness, the photocurrent at 1.23 VRHE increased from 0.64 to 1.1 mA·cm–2 under front illumination corresponding to 72% enhancement. We attribute this substantial improvement to enhanced charge separation and suppression of surface recombination due to surface-state passivation. We provide direct evidence via transient photocurrent measurements that the TiO2 overlayer significantly decreases the photogenerated electron-trapping process at the BiVO4 surface. Electron-trapping passivation leads to enhanced electron photoconductivity, which results in higher photocurrent enhancement under front illumination rather than back illumination. This feature can be particularly useful for wireless tandem devices for water splitting as the higher band gap photoanodes are typically utilized with front illumination in such configurations. Even though the electron-trapping process is eliminated completely at higher TiO2 overlayer thicknesses, the charge-transfer resistance at the surface also increases significantly, resulting in a diminished photocurrent. We demonstrate that the ultrathin TiO2 overlayer can be used to fine tune the surface properties of BiVO4 and may be used for similar purposes for other photoelectrode systems and other photoelectrocatalytic reactions.