mobility and fast charge recombination, which result in limitations during practical application. Because the solar light conversion effi ciency ( η ) [ 15 ] is directly proportional to the product of the solar light absorption effi ciency ( η abs ), charge separation effi ciency ( η sep ), and surface charge transfer effi ciency ( η trans ). The decoration of the cocatalyst [ 16 ] and the introduction of porosity to increase surface area [ 17 ] have been studied for practical usage of PEC with increased η abs , η sep , and η trans . Specifically, recent developments in the fully integrated nanowire-based heterostructure [ 18,19 ] and the introduction of a dual-layer oxidation cocatalyst [ 20 ] into porous BiVO 4 have been reported for practical solar fuel production with good η abs , η sep , and η tran .However, the typical PEC performance of a pristine BiVO 4 photoanode to produce solar fuel products is not impressive because it suffers from inherent drawbacks. The development and design of BiVO 4 microcrystals have been highlighted to produce solar fuel products by introducing photocatalytic crystal facet engineering and cocatalyst, [20][21][22] and the breakthrough for enhancing solar light conversion effi ciency has not been suggested previously for a pristine BiVO 4 photoanode.Here, a (040)-crystal facet engineered BiVO 4 ((040)-BVO) plate photoanode has been investigated to produce solar fuel products as an artifi cial photosynthesis with highly enhanced PEC performance via a crystal facet engineering approach that is based on reports by Cheng and co-workers [ 23,24 ] and Li and co-workers. [ 11,21,22 ] We demonstrate the higher PEC performance caused by higher effi cient η sep and η tran of the BVO thin fi lm with selectively exposed (040) crystal facet. Because the (040) facet-manipulated BiVO 4 plate photoanode has not been previously studied, our designed model demonstrates the signifi cance of the interfacial electron transport reaction between the {010} plane and the electrolyte with η sep and η tran , resulting in the highest PEC performance. The results of this study may provide the most viable strategy for designing an effi cient BiVO 4 photoanode for enhanced solar fuel production. Results and DiscussionA (040)-crystal facet engineered BiVO 4 plate photoanode ((040)-BVO) was hydrothermally synthesized via a seed layer approach A (040)-crystal facet engineered BiVO 4 ((040)-BVO) photoanode is investigated for solar fuel production. The (040)-BVO photoanode is favorable for improved charge carrier mobility and high photocatalytic active sites for solar light energy conversion. This crystal facet design of the (040)-BVO photoanode leads to an increase in the energy conversion effi ciency for solar fuel production and an enhancement of the oxygen evolution rate. The photocurrent density of the (040)-BVO photoanode is determined to be 0.94 mA cm −2 under AM 1.5 G illumination and produces 42.1% of the absorbed photon-to-current conversion effi ciency at 1.23 V (vs RHE, reversible hydrogen electrode). ...

HIGHLIGHT This journal isThe photocatalysis, chromism, and sensing capabilities of nanostructured tungsten oxides, such as tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ), its suboxides (WO x , 0

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Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) is widely used as a substrate in the synthesis of a photo-reactive semiconductor electrode for solar water splitting. The hematite film on the surface of the FTO substrate annealed at 700 °C showed an enhanced photocurrent value with a maximum photocurrent of 0.39 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 V vs. RHE under 1 sun illumination. This is a much enhanced photocurrent value of the hematite films than that of those annealed at temperatures lower than 700 °C. This is a promising approach for the enhancement of the photoelectrochemical properties of metal oxide thin films. This work reports on the mechanism of the annealing process of the synthesized hematite film to enhance the photocurrent value. Furthermore, this can be used for the enhanced efficiency of the solar water splitting reaction.