Visible Light Photoanode Material for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting: A Review of Bismuth Vanadate

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) technology for water splitting has been regarded as one of the most appealing and environmentally friendly approaches to converting light energy into hydrogen energy. The semiconductor material used as the photoelectrode is considered to be the most important factor affecting the efficiency of the PEC system. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4), as a n-type semiconductor material, has a wide light absorption range, strong catalytic ability, high stability, and low cost, which makes it one of the most promising candidates as a photoanode material for PEC water splitting. Since the first report of BiVO4, tremendous efforts have been devoted to exploring different strategies for the synthesis and structural modification of BiVO4 to enhance its PEC performance, which has led to remarkable progress in recent years. This review attempts to summarize such considerable progress of BiVO4 for PEC water splitting, mainly focusing on the synthetic methods and modification strategies. In the end, the personal perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of this promising material are proposed.