Visible-light photocatalytic fuel cell with BiVO4/UiO-66/TiO2/Ti photoanode efficient degradation of Rhodamine B and stable generation of electricity

摘要

In order to improve the light utilization and electron transfer efficiency of the PFC system, an efficient BiVO4/UiO-66/TiO2/Ti photoanode with visible-light response was prepared by a simple sol-gel method and a hydrothermal synthesis method. The photocurrent density of the BiVO4/UiO-66/TiO2/Ti was 0.72 mA/cm(2) at 0.6 V (vs. SCE) under visible light, which was 2.4 times that of BiVO4/TiO2/Ti photoanode, indicating UiO-66 used as the electron transmission medium between TiO2 and BiVO4 could enhance the electron transmission efficiency. With BiVO4/UiO-66/TiO2 /Ti photoanode and Cu2O/Cu cathode, the visible-light responsive photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) exhibited high organics degradation and electricity conversion performance. The short circuit photocurrent density (Jsc), maximum power output and degradation efficiency of Rhodamine B were 0.23 mA.cm(-2), 29.26 mu W.cm(-2) and 91.50% in 2 h, respectively.