Review on BiVO4-Based Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation: The Main Influencing Factors

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been considered as a promising technology to produce hydrogen clean energy, and the electrode material is one of the main reasons restricting its development. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) is a promising photoanode material for PEC water oxidation with the advantages of low cost, visible light absorption, and suitable band edge location. Since BiVO4 was reported, tremendous efforts have been used to improve the PEC performance, and significant achievements have been made. This minireview first briefly introduces the theory of PEC and the basic properties of BiVO4 and then summarizes the effects of light absorption efficiency, charge separation efficiency, charge transfer efficiency, and stability on the PEC performance of BiVO4-based photoanodes. Finally, the challenges and prospects for future research on BiVO4 photoanodes are proposed for solar energy production.