Strategies on Improving the Performance of Tungsten Trioxide (WO3) based Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

The main aim of this research is to improvise strategies to improve the performance of tungsten trioxide (WO3) photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation and solar H2 production. Various materials engineering strategies, such as optimisation of electrodeposition parameters using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) during the synthesis of WO3 photoanode; fabrication of WO3 photoanode with different crystal orientation junction; development of a novel metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) WO3 photoanode; and nanocompositing of WO3 photoanode with its metal co-catalysts are attempted to improve the physico-chemical, optical, surface and electronic properties of WO3 photoanode in achieving a higher photocurrent response. All these strategies are able to promote the effective separation of photo-generated charge carriers at the molecular level and thus, enhancing the overall efficiency of PEC water oxidation