Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance of BiVO4 by a NiMoO4 Modification

In this work, porous BiVO4 thin films were deposited on the FTO glass through a spin-coating deposition method and their photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties were investigated. Further, the BiVO4 thin film was modified with a NiMoO4 thin layer for enhancing its PEC activity. It is demonstrated that the applied bias photo-to-current conversion efficiency is increased by 63% after a surface modification, which is ascribed to both the formation of a p–n junction and the suppressed carrier recombination rate by terms of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Finally, a schematic band model is also proposed to clarify the charge carrier transfer mechanism which is responsible for the enhanced PEC performance.