Sensitize BiVO₄ with rhodamine B using BiOCl as a bridge to yield more photoelectrons for photoelectrochemical application

One approach that shows promising for producing hydrogen fuel from solar energy is photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The main challenge is to design effective photoanodes. Although bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) is an ideal photoanode in terms of absorbing visible light, serious electron–hole recombination and poor charge transport limit its application as a photoanode of PEC. Dye sensitization is the key method to improve electron transfer and light utilization. Herein, an enhanced dye (rhodamine B, RhB)-sensitized BiVO₄/BiOCl system was explored. The results show that the process of RhB sensitization BiVO₄ requires BiOCl as a bridge. The RhB-sensitized BiVO₄/BiOCl system exhibits excellent photoelectrochemical activity, which is attributed to its enhanced photoinduced electron transport and wider visible light response range. This inspiration comes from the mythical story of China, "Cowherd and the Weaver Girl Meet at the Magpie Bridge". The combination of dye sensitization and BiVO₄/BiOCl heterojunction explored an energy-saving, efficient and green light-induced system to improve the PEC efficiency.