BiVO₄-Based Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is one of the most promising and appealing strategies for converting sunlight into sustainable hydrogen energy and has received increasing attention. Among the potential photocatalysts, BiVO₄ has attracted particular attention as a photoanode material because of its appropriate bandgap (2.4 eV) and favorable band-edge position. Moreover, its carrier mobility and hole-diffusion length are modest, and the photocurrent density is below the theoretical expectation (7.5 mA cm⁻²). Recently, diverse strategies have been developed to improve the performance of BiVO₄-based photoanodes with rapid progress. In this article, engineering strategies including facet tailoring, intrinsic and extrinsic doping, surface modification, are summarized, and remaining challenges and perspective for the future research are provided.