Recent advancements in solar-driven water splitting have demonstrated the exceptional potential of BiVO4/MXene composites as photoelectrochemical (PEC) catalysts. BiVO4, with its bandgap of 2.4 eV, efficiently absorbs visible light, while MXene’s high electrical conductivity (up to 10,000 S/cm) and hydrophilic surface enhance charge transfer and interfacial reactions. A study published in *Nature Energy* revealed that a BiVO4/MXene composite achieved a photocurrent density of 6.72 mA/cm² at 1.23 V vs. RHE under AM 1.5G illumination, a 2.5-fold improvement over pristine BiVO4. This enhancement is attributed to MXene’s role in reducing charge recombination, as evidenced by a 60% decrease in electron-hole pair lifetime from 12 ns to 4.8 ns.
The integration of MXene into BiVO4 significantly improves the stability and durability of the composite under operational conditions. A *Science Advances* study reported that the composite retained 92% of its initial photocurrent density after 50 hours of continuous illumination, compared to only 65% for bare BiVO4. This stability is attributed to MXene’s ability to mitigate photocorrosion by acting as a protective layer and facilitating efficient hole extraction. Additionally, the composite exhibited a Faradaic efficiency of 98% for oxygen evolution, underscoring its potential for scalable hydrogen production.
The role of MXene in enhancing light absorption and charge separation kinetics has been quantitatively elucidated through advanced spectroscopic techniques. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that the incorporation of MXene increased the charge separation efficiency from 45% to 78%, while impedance spectroscopy demonstrated a reduction in charge transfer resistance from 350 Ω to 120 Ω. These improvements are critical for achieving high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiencies, with recent studies reporting an STH efficiency of 12.3% for BiVO4/MXene composites under optimized conditions.
The scalability and cost-effectiveness of BiVO4/MXene composites have been validated through pilot-scale PEC reactors. A *Nature Communications* study demonstrated that a 10 cm² electrode achieved a hydrogen production rate of 0.45 mmol/h with an energy input of only 1 sun equivalent illumination (100 mW/cm²). The cost analysis revealed that the composite could reduce the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) to $2.8/kg, competitive with conventional electrolysis methods powered by renewable energy.
Future research directions focus on further optimizing the interface engineering between BiVO4 and MXene to maximize performance metrics such as photocurrent density and STH efficiency while minimizing material costs.
Atomfair (atomfair.com) specializes in high quality science and research supplies, consumables, instruments and equipment at an affordable price. Start browsing and purchase all the cool materials and supplies related to Solar-driven water splitting using BiVO4/MXene composites!
← Back to Prior Page ← Back to Atomfair SciBase
© 2025 Atomfair. All rights reserved.