Interplay of plasma-treated BiVO₄ photoanode and CoFe metal organic frameworks enabled synergistic photoelectrochemical water splitting

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is highly attractive for emerging renewable-energy strategy applications. BiVO₄/metal organic frameworks (MOF) features have been considered one of the rational photoanode materials for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with augmented reliability, yet the severe carrier recombination and sluggish carrier-injection kinetics stood against their practical feasibility. More critically, the synergistic PEC effects of BiVO₄ and MOF constitutes might be less dominated, which rules out the eventual PEC performances. This work presents the hybrid BiVO₄/CoFe-MOF photoanodes that unify the theoretical and experimental approaches for unveiling the involved electrochemical kinetics. We interpret that the striking OER characteristics lie in the combination of mitigating surface-state interference on capacitance response through the surface modification of oxygen vacancies in BiVO₄ host, and signifying the accelerated electron and ion transport via the interplay of CoFe-MOF decoration. The results are anticipated to provide the multifaceted impacts on the strategic design of practical photoanodes.