Investigation of the Kinetic Properties and Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting of Cu3V2O8/ZnO Photoanode Modified by Cobalt Phosphate
Copper vanadate(Cu3V2O8)has emerged as a promising material for photoelectrochemical applications due to its unique electronic and optical properties.In this study,the preparation of Cu3V2O8 photoelectrodes with different thicknesses was reported and the factors that affect their photoelectrochemical performance were investigated.It is found that the primary limitation of Cu3V2O8 as a photoanode material is the short diffusion distance of the photo-generated charge carriers,which leads to severe bulk recombination and limits the photocurrent density and efficiency.To overcome this limitation,a novel strategy of using one-dimensional ZnO nanorod arrays as a support framework and loading CoPi cocatalyst to enhance the photoelectrochemical performance of Cu3V2O8 was proposed.The ZnO nanorod arrays serve as a rapid electron transfer channel to promote the bulk separation of photo-generated charge carriers,while the CoPi cocatalyst improves the surface separation efficiency of photo-generated charge carriers and enhances the oxidation kinetics.The incorporation of ZnO na-norod arrays and CoPi cocatalyst significantly enhances the photocurrent density and efficiency of Cu3V2O8 photoelectrodes,resulting in a more than 2-fold increase in the photocurrent density and a 50％increase in the photoconversion efficiency.To further understand the underlying mechanisms behind the improved photoelectrochemical performance,a comprehensive analysis of the intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data was per-formed.The results show that the incorporation of ZnO nanorod arrays and CoPi cocatalyst leads to a significant reduction in the charge transfer resistance and a decrease in the recombination rate of photo-generated charge carriers,which are respon-sible for the improved photocurrent density and efficiency.Overall,the study demonstrates the potential of using ZnO nano-rod arrays and CoPi cocatalyst as a novel strategy to enhance the photoelectrochemical performance of Cu3V2O8 photoelec-trodes.The proposed approach provides a new direction for the development of high-performance photoanode materials for solar energy conversion and other photoelectrochemical applications.
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