Fabrication and Kinetic Study of a Ferrihydrite-Modified BiVO4 Photoanode

In spite of great progress in the surface modification of semiconductor photoelectrodes, the role of the metal oxide cocatalyst on photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance is still not well understood. In this study, ferrihydrite (Fh) as a novel cocatalyst was decorated on a wormlike nanoporous BiVO4 photoanode. A surface kinetics study of Fh/BiVO4 by intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) evidences the primary role of Fh on PEC performance enhancement, varying with the loading of Fh. It was found that dispersed Fh le nanoparticles accelerate hole transfer for water oxidation, but the resulting photoanode suffers from poor stability. The thick layers of Fh address the stability of the electrode by suppressing surface charge recombination but result in reduced hole transfer rates. Modification of a BiVO4 film with optimally thick layers of discrete nanoflakes effectively reduces charge recombination without compromising stability, leading to a high AM 1.5 G photocurrent of 4.78 mA/cm(2) at 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode and an applied bias photon to current efficiency of 1.81% at 0.61 V. These values are comparable to the best results reported for undoped BiVO4

The sedimentary succession of the last 2.25 Myr in the Bohai Strait: Implications for the Quaternary paleoenvironmental evolution of the Bohai Sea

The Bohai Strait connects the Bohai Sea with the Yellow Sea, allowing material and energy exchange between the seas. The sedimentary record in this region is important for reconstructing the Quaternary sea-level changes and environmental evolution in the Bohai Sea area; however, long sedimentary sequences with a reliable chronological framework from this area are scarce. We assessed the sedimentary characteristics, grain size, microfossils, accelerator mass spectrometry 14C ages and optically stimulated luminescence ages of core BHS01 from the Bohai Strait. From these and previous paleomagnetic results, new insights into regional sea-level changes and environmental evolution in the Bohai Strait over the last 2.25 Myr are obtained. The sedimentology and environmental proxies (benthic foraminifera and marine ostracods) indicate that the sedimentary environment of the area around core BHS01 was mainly dominated by fluvial-lacustrine deposits from 2.25 to 0.89 Ma, and subsequently by alternating marine and fluvial deposits. Comparative analyses of the chronological and sedimentary results of core BHS01 with previous drilling records in the eastern marginal seas of China revealed that the Quaternary initial marine transgression of the Bohai Sea occurred no later than 0.89 Ma (latest early Pleistocene) since Quaternary. The initial transgression presumably resulted from the partial subsidence and disintegration of the Miaodao Islands Uplift with sea-level rise during this period or slightly earlier. This result is generally consistent with the timing of the Quaternary regional marine transgressive processes of the Yellow and Bohai seas; thus, we propose a conceptual model in which the first marine transgression of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea during the Quaternary occurred no later than 1.66 Ma and 0.89 Ma, respectively. This study provides new evidence for understanding the Quaternary sea-level changes and regional environmental evolution in the Bohai Sea

Fabrication and Kinetic Study of a Ferrihydrite-Modified BiVO₄ Photoanode

In spite of great progress in the surface modification of semiconductor photoelectrodes, the role of the metal oxide cocatalyst on photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance is still not well understood. In this study, ferrihydrite (Fh) as a novel cocatalyst was decorated on a wormlike nanoporous BiVO₄ photoanode. A surface kinetics study of Fh/BiVO₄ by intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) evidences the primary role of Fh on PEC performance enhancement, varying with the loading of Fh. It was found that dispersed Fh nanoparticles accelerate hole transfer for water oxidation, but the resulting photoanode suffers from poor stability. The thick layers of Fh address the stability of the electrode by suppressing surface charge recombination but result in reduced hole transfer rates. Modification of a BiVO₄ film with optimally thick layers of discrete nanoflakes effectively reduces charge recombination without compromising stability, leading to a high AM 1.5 G photocurrent of 4.78 mA/cm² at 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode and an applied bias photon to current efficiency of 1.81% at 0.61 V. These values are comparable to the best results reported for undoped BiVO₄