Cobalt substituted polyoxophosphomolybdate modified TiO2 for boosted photoelectrocatalytic water oxidation

Hydrogen production from photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) water splitting is an emerging technology that can convert and store solar energy into chemical fuels quickly and efficiently. Although many materials with excellent PEC properties have emerged, the endeavor of exploring new substances to improve PEC efficiency has never stopped. Herein, TiO 2 nanorods (NRs) are modified with cobalt substituted polyoxometallate (denoted as Co-POMs), and it is verified that the introduction of Co-POMs accelerated the efficiency of charge separation and migration, retarded the electron-hole recombination and enhanced the light absorption capability of photoanode, thus significantly boosted the PEC performance of Co-POMs/TiO 2 NRs compared with the pristine TiO 2 . This work develops a new TiO 2 -based composite material and expands the utility of POMs in solar energy conversion field to further improve the PEC performance in hydrogen energy production process.