PbS Quantum Dots-Decorated BiVO Photoanodes for Highly Efficient Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production.

While metal oxides such as TiO, FeO, WO, and BiVO have been previously studied for their potential as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production, their relatively wide band-gap limits their photocurrent, making them unsuitable for the efficient utilization of incident visible light. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new approach for highly efficient PEC hydrogen production based on a novel photoanode composed of BiVO/PbS quantum dots (QDs). Crystallized monoclinic BiVO films were prepared via a typical electrodeposition process, followed by the deposition of PbS QDs using a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method to form a p-n heterojunction.