(Invited) Type II Heterojunctions of Inorganic Nanostructures for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

A type II semiconductor heterojunction relies on the transfer of photoexcited electrons from one semiconductor to the other due to the more negative conduction band position of the latter. Holes can travel in the opposite direction from the more positive valence band of the former to the latter, leading to all-round efficient charge separation and enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity for water splitting. In this talk, we would like to show highly efficient type II BiVO 4 /MeO x (Me = metal) heterostructure photoanodes on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate. By combining the photoanodes with perovskite/Si hybrid photovoltaics (PVs), the state-of-the-art PV-PEC performans demonstrated. Efficient charge separation and enhanced PEC performance in transition metal disulfides/p-Si and transition metal oxides/n-Si heterostructures are introduced.