Au nanoparticles embedded in BiVO₄ films photoanode with enhanced photoelectrochemical performance

In this work, we report the fabrication of Au nanoparticles embedded in BiVO₄ films photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) application by a facile electrochemical deposition and sputtering process. The Au NPs/BiVO₄ films photoanode decorated with Co–Pi yields significantly improved PEC performance with a maximum photocurrent density of ∼3.1 mA cm⁻² at 1.23 V versus RHE. The significantly enhanced performance could be attributed to the introduction of Au nanoparticles, which leads to enhancement of light absorption arising from surface plasmon resonance effect of nanosized Au and improved charge transfer and separation efficiency resulted by increased carrier density and charge transport property by the Au metal doping effect. (paper)