Phosphate-bridged TiO2–BiVO4 nanocomposites with exceptional visible activities for photocatalytic water splitting

Abstract In this work, phosphate-bridged TiO 2 –BiVO 4 is fabricated by a simple wet-chemical method and exploited for water splitting under visible irradiation. By means of ultra-low-temperature electron-spin resonance (ESR) measurements and the designed photoelectrochemical experiments, the spatial transfers of visible-excited energetic electrons from BiVO 4 to TiO 2 in the fabricated nanocomposites are identified for the first time. Moreover, the phosphate bridges between BiVO 4 and TiO 2 are successfully built so that the transfers of visible-excited charges in space are greatly improved. This would prolong the lifetime and promote the separation of photogenerated charges. Interestingly, the phosphate-bridged TiO 2 –BiVO 4 nanocomposite exhibits much high photocatalytic activities for water oxidation and H 2 evolution by about three times compared to the un-bridged TiO 2 –BiVO 4 one. This work will provide new ideas to develop visible-response photocatalysts with high visible activities for water splitting.