Unveiling the Influence of Sulfur Doping on Photoelectrochemical Performance in BiVO₄/FeOOH Heterostructures

BiVO₄ is a promising photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting but suffers from high charge carrier recombination and sluggish surface water oxidation kinetics that limit its efficiency. In this work, a model of sulfur-incorporated FeOOH cocatalyst-loaded BiVO₄ was constructed. The composite photoanode (BiVO₄/S-FeOOH) demonstrates an enhanced photocurrent density of 3.58 mA cm^-2, which is 3.7 times higher than that of the pristine BiVO₄ photoanode. However, the current explanations for the generation of enhanced photocurrent signals through the incorporation of elements and cocatalyst loading remain unclear and require further in-depth research. In this work, the hole transfer kinetics were investigated by using a scanning photoelectrochemical microscope (SPECM). The results suggest that the incorporation of sulfur can effectively improve the charge transfer capacity of FeOOH. Moreover, the oxygen evolution reaction model provides evidence that S-doping can induce a “fast” surface catalytic reaction at the cocatalyst/solution interface. The work not only presents a promising approach for designing a highly efficient photoanode but also offers valuable insights into the role of element doping in the PEC water-splitting system.