Atomic Layer Deposition of Space‐Efficient SnO₂ Underlayers for BiVO₄ Host–Guest Architectures for Photoassisted Water Splitting

Abstract

Invited for this month′s cover are the Stefik and Rao groups at the University of South Carolina and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The image shows a fantastical submarine solar‐water‐splitting process using the host‐guest architectures described in the report. The Full Paper itself is available at 10.1002/cssc.201802566.

Host/Guest Nanostructured Photoanodes Integrated with Targeted Enhancement Strategies for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

“…Thus, the construction of host/guest architecture in photoanodes can simultaneously enhance visible light absorption as well as separation and collection of charge carriers, dramatically improving the solar‐to‐fuel conversion efficiency of PEC photoanodes. [ 44–45 ] Typically, the configuration of PEC devices can be also divided into three types, namely nonintegrated/modular, fully integrated/wireless, and partially integrated/wired PEC devices. In the nonintegrated/modular PEC devices, water splitting and light absorption are achieved by electrodes and photovoltaic cells, respectively.…”

Growth of Bi2O3 Films by Thermal- and Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition Monitored with Real-Time Spectroscopic Ellipsometry for Photocatalytic Water Splitting

“…Bismuth-containing ternary oxides, such as BiVO 4 , CuBi 2 O 4 , BiMn 2 O 5 , Bi 2 WO 6 , and BiFeO 3 , have attracted much attention as photoabsorbers for solar driven water splitting as a sustainable way to produce hydrogen as a solar fuel. − However, none of these materials currently fulfill the stringent demands for large-scale practical applications. A major drawback of most metal oxides is the limited charge carrier diffusion length (usually on the order of 2–100 nm) compared to the optical penetration depth (usually >100 nm). − , This means that most of the charge carriers that are generated in films thick enough to absorb most of the incident light will not be able to reach the interface.…”