Synergistic Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Properties of the Cobalt Nanoparticles-Embedded TiVO Thin Film.

To optimize the semiconductor properties of TiVO thin films and enhance their performance, we incorporated cobalt nanoparticles as an effective co-catalyst consisting of a non-noble metal. Through an investigation into the impact of cobalt loading on spray pyrolyzed TiVO thin films, we observed a significant enhancement in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. This was accomplished by carefully optimizing the concentrations of Co (3 mM) to fabricate a composite electrode, resulting in a higher photocurrent density for the TiVO:Co photoanode. When an applied potential of 1.23 V (vs RHE) was used, the photocurrent density reached 450 μA/cm, approximately 5 times higher than that of bare TiVO. We conducted a thorough characterization of the composite structure and optical properties. Additionally, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis indicated that the TiVO/Co thin film exhibited a smaller semicircle, indicating a significant improvement in charge transfer at the interface. In comparison to bare TiVO, the TiVO/Co composite exhibited a notable improvement in photocatalytic activity when degrading methylene blue (MB) dye, a widely employed model dye. Under light illumination, a TiVO/Co thin film exhibited a notable dye degradation rate of 97% within a 45 min duration. The scalability of our fabrication method makes it suitable for large-area devices intended for sunlight-driven PEC seawater splitting studies.