Strain Adjustment Realizes the Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting on Tetragonal Zircon BiVO(4)

Overall water splitting to generate H(2) and O(2) is vital in solving energy problem. It is still a great challenge to seek efficient visible light photocatalyst to realize overall water splitting. In this work, the tetragonal zircon BiVO(4) is prepared by epitaxial growth on FTO substrate and its overall water splitting reaction is studied. Under the influence of epitaxial strain, the conduction band position shifts negatively and beyond H(+)/H(2) reduction potential (0 V vs NHE), which enables it to possess the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity. After loading cocatalysts, the overall water splitting (λ > 400 nm) is realized (H(2): ≈65.7 µmol g(−1) h(−1), O(2): ≈32.6 µmol g(−1) h(−1)), and the value of solar hydrogen conversion efficiency is 0.012%. The single‐particle photoluminescence (PL) spectra and PL decay kinetics tests demonstrate the cocatalysts are beneficial to the separation and transfer of carriers. The new strategy of adjusting the band structure by strain is provided.