Highly dispersed cobalt oxide on TaON as efficient photoanodes … · G and valence and conduction...

1

Highly dispersed cobalt oxide on TaON as efficient

photoanodes for long-term solar water splitting

Satnam Singh Gujral,† Alexandr N. Simonov,*

,† Masanobu Higashi,

‡ Xi-Ya Fang,

§ Ryu Abe*

‡

and Leone Spiccia*,†

†School of Chemistry and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science,

Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia

* E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected];

[email protected];

‡Department of Energy and Hydrocarbon Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto

University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan

§Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia

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ABSTRACT

Photo-electrochemical water splitting into H2 and O2 over a semiconductor-based photocatalyst

offers a promising way to achieve the sustainable harvesting and storage of solar energy.

However, short diffusion lengths and inefficient separation of the charge carriers in the

semiconductors following light absorption result in fast recombination of holes and electrons,

and eventually poor performance. Herein, we address this problem by integrating an efficient and

robust water oxidation catalyst, cobalt oxide (CoOx), into screen-printed TaON photoanodes pre-

modified with TiO2 coatings for better stability. SEM, TEM, ICP-MS analysis of the Co deposits

and electrochemical techniques were used to demonstrate the advantages provided by the photo-

assisted CoOx electrodeposition method. Specifically, this method allows the selective and facile

functionalization of the TiO2-TaON surface with a uniform layer of near-(hemi)spherical CoOx

particles having a diameter of 5-15 nm. As compared to the TiO2-TaON photoanodes, the

optimized CoOx/TiO2-TaON configuration provides an enhancement in the photocurrent

densities of up to two orders of magnitude and a substantial improvement in the long-term

stability when tested in borate buffer solutions (pH = 9.2). The highest oxidative photocurrent

density of 0.7 mA cm−2

was achieved with CoOx/TiO2-TaON under visible light irradiation (λ >

400 nm; 100 mW cm−2

) at 1.2 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, and remained stable for at

least 24 h. The Co-loading in the best performing photoanode is ca 0.1 wt.% with respect to

TaON; higher and lower loadings result in poorer photocatalytic activity and stability.

Comparisons of the performance of CoOx/TiO2-TaON with other representative inorganic water

photo-electrooxidation systems are provided and discussed.

KEYWORDS: Electrodeposition, cobalt oxide, tantalum oxynitride, photocatalytic water

splitting, visible light

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INTRODUCTION

A comparison of humanity’s energy demands with the amount delivered to our planet by the

Sun1,2

leads to the conclusion that solar energy can and should eventually replace non-renewable

and/or non-sustainable alternatives as our primary source of energy. An obvious drawback of the

solar energy is its intermittent nature, which spurs vigorous efforts to develop technologies for

converting photons into storable and transportable forms, viz. chemical energy. From this

perspective, solar-powered electrochemical generation of hydrogen from water, within the scope

of a global ‘hydrogen economy’,3 is one of the most promising sustainable approaches for

harvesting and storing solar energy. This can be accomplished by using very efficient

photovoltaics4,5

to power free-standing electrocatalytic cells in which water is decomposed into

H2 and O2 (by-product)6. More elegant but much harder to achieve is a photo-electrochemical

approach, where a light-harvesting element is integrated with the catalyst(s) for the half-

reactions, viz. hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the cathode and oxygen evolution reaction

(OER) at the anode (Scheme 1).7-11

Simplistically, photo-electrochemical water splitting proceeds in the following elementary

sequence: (i) absorption of photons, (ii) conversion of photons into electrical energy

(photopotential), (iii) electrocatalytic splitting of water into H2 and O2 powered by the

photopotential. Inorganic semiconductors are one class of materials that are capable of efficiently

sustaining all three elementary steps and have therefore attracted considerable attention.12

However, the complexity and multi-electron nature of water splitting imposes significant

constraints and challenges to the development of suitable semiconductor materials that are

efficient, inexpensive and nontoxic.

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Scheme 1. Modus operandi of the CoOx-modified TiO2-TaON photoanode during water splitting

under visible light irradiation.

Thermodynamically, water splitting is an unfavourable reaction requiring an increase in Gibbs

free energy by 237 kJ mol(H2)−1

. Theoretically, this can be achieved by applying a potential of

1.23 V, but sustaining efficient water splitting requires additional energy to satisfy the

overpotentials of the HER and the OER, and resistance losses.13-16

This excess energy demand

can be met by the energy of the photogenerated electrons and holes in a semiconductor having a

sufficiently wide band gap, EG > 1.6 eV (Scheme 1).5,16

On the other hand, efficient utilization of

solar energy, whose predominant contribution is from photons of the visible and near IR regions

(400 nm < λ < 1000 nm), imposes an upper limit for EG of 3 eV.16,17

Finally, the valence and

conduction band levels must straddle the redox potentials of the OER and the HER (Scheme 1)

to allow unassisted, i.e. with no external applied potential, water splitting for hydrogen

production.16,18

If these requirements are met, upon absorption of photons, charge separation and

transport occurs followed by the consumption of electrons and holes at the metal

cathode|electrolyte (HER) and photoanode|electrolyte interfaces (OER), respectively.19,20

At the

same time, detrimental recombination of the charge carriers can occur and, therefore, the whole

water splitting process must be achieved within the lifetime of the photogenerated electrons and

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holes.21

Semiconductor photocatalytic materials meeting the indicated criteria are required to

alleviate the limitations commonly faced when efficient photo-electrochemical water splitting

using sunlight as the only energy source is pursued.

Semiconducting metal oxides, and especially TiO2, are the most intensively studied materials

for photocatalytic applications owing to their excellent activity, chemical stability and

photocorrosion resistance.18,22,23

However, their band gaps are often large (e.g. EG = 3.2 eV for

TiO2), restricting light absorption to the UV region of solar radiation (λ < 400 nm) and making

them non-responsive in the visible and near IR regions. This limits the achievable photon-to-

current efficiency under the Sun’s irradiation to 1%. Many attempts have been made to extend

the light absorption by tuning the metal oxides band gap via doping,24-28

use of plasmonic

nanoparticles29-32

and dyes as sensitizers,12,33-38

creation of oxygen vacancies,39,40

etc. Amongst

the TiO2-based photoanode materials, 1D TiO2 nanowires rich in oxygen vacancies showed the

highest water splitting photoactivity reported to date. A photocurrent of ca 1.3 mA cm−2

at 0.7 V

vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) was measured in 1 M KOH under simulated AM 1.5G

full spectrum irradiation (one sun, light intensity of 100 mW cm−2

) which corresponds to an

applied-bias-compensated photon-to-current efficiency (AB-PCE) of ca 0.69%.41

Defects created

by oxygen vacancies in metal oxides also improve electrical conductivity and charge transfer

properties. On the downside, the necessity to apply complex synthetic and fabrication

procedures, such as thermal evaporation, chemical vapour deposition, pulsed laser deposition,

cold pressing, etc., and high temperatures significantly increases the cost of such materials.

Moreover, the long-term stability of defect structures is an issue that needs to be considered.

As an alternative, narrow band gap inorganic semiconductors with an inherent capability to

absorb visible solar radiation have been intensely studied in recent years. Amongst them,

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materials based on α-Fe2O3 (EG = 2.2 eV),42

BiVO4 (EG = 2.4 eV),43

WO3 (EG = 2.7 eV)44

and

TaON (EG = 2.5 eV)45

are arguably the most promising. However, only tantalum oxynitride is

theoretically capable of sustaining the complete water splitting process, i.e. both the OER and

HER as shown in Scheme 1, without applying an additional bias and/or introducing a

photocatalyst on the cathode. This is because, in most cases, the conduction band position is too

positive for the HER. Additionally, recombination losses in narrow band gap inorganic

semiconductors usually limit their performance for the OER, and typical onset potentials for the

photo-electrocatalytic water oxidation are limited to ca 0.8 V vs. RHE. This problem has been

resolved by combining the semiconducting materials with well-known water oxidation catalysts,

like IrO2,46-48

CoOx48-51

and NiOx50

to facilitate charge separation/transport and the OER kinetics.

Structuring of the photoanodes, e.g. in the form of nanotube or nanorod arrays, has also been

demonstrated to improve performance.52-55

Representative examples of notable recent

achievements are summarized in Table 1 and further details are available in a recent review on

the Ta-based photoanodes for water splitting.56

As mentioned above, the EG and valence and conduction band positions of TaON (ca +2.2 and

−0.3 V vs. normal hydrogen electrode (NHE), respectively)45,57

are appropriate for sustaining

complete water splitting into H2 and O2 under visible light irradiation. Generally, metal

oxynitrides, being coloured and visible light responsive; represent an interesting class of

photooxidation catalysts.58-62

Since the first report by Domen and co-workers in 2002,45,58

tantalum oxynitrides have emerged as promising photoanodes for water splitting.46,48,61-66

However, as with most oxynitrides, the presence of the N2p orbitals in the valence band makes

TaON prone to oxidative decomposition to molecular nitrogen (2 N3−

+ 6 h+ → N2) and Ta2O5,

which is a poor visible light absorber (EG = 3.9 eV).45

The formation of the tantalum oxide layer

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on the TaON surface hinders hole transport to the electrode|electrolyte interface and degrades the

performance of the photoanode.

Table 1. Water splitting performance of representative examples of photoanode materials and

TaON-based systems.

Irradiation

conditions

Photoanode

Materials pH

Transient photoactivitya,

J / mA cm−2

Long-term

photoactivity,b

J / mA cm−2

Ref.

0.7 V 0.9 V 1.23 V

AM 1.5G

full spectrum

1 sun c

1D TiO2 nanowires 14 d 1.3 1.4 1.5

1.2

(0.83 V, 6 h) 41

WO3 0 e 1.2 2.2 2.9 n.a. 67

BiVO4 7.0-7.3 f 0.2 0.6 1.1

0.4

(0.80 V, 16 h) 50

CoOx/W-doped-BiVO4 7.3 f 2.4 3.0 3.6 n.a. 49

CoOx/BiVO4 7.0 f 1.0 1.2 1.5

0.65

(0.80 V, 16 h) 50

NiOx/CoOx/BiVO4 7.0 f 2.7 3.0 3.5

2.3

(0.80 V, 16 h) 50

Fe2O3 14 d n.a.

j n.a. 2.2 n.a. 47

IrO2/Fe2O3 14 d n.a. 0.4 3.0 n.a. 47

TaON nanotube arrays 14 d

1.4 1.6 1.9 n.a. 52

C/Cu2O/TaON

nanorod arrays 13.6

g 0.70 2.3 4.3

2.7

(1.0 V, 1 h) 53

TaON/Ta2O5 nanorods 14 d 3.0 3.0 3.1 n.a. 54

AM 1.5G

λ > 400 nm

6 sun c

TaON 6 h n.a. n.a. < 0.01 - - - 68

TaON/TaON 6 h 0.25 0.55 1.25 - - - 46,69

IrO2/TaON 6 h 1.2 2.1 3.7

0.35

(1.15 V, 1 h) 46

CoOx/TaON 8 f 0.80 1.6 3.2

2.1

(1.07 V, 1 h) 51

BaTaO2N 8 f < 0.1 < 0.1 0.20 - - - 48

RhOx/CoOx/BaTaO2N 8 f 0.50 1.5 3.2

2.0

(1.07 V, 1 h) 48

IrOx/CoOx/BaTaO2N 8 f 0.30 1.1 2.7

1.0

(1.07 V, 1 h) 48

AM 1.5G

λ > 400 nm

1 sun c

TaON nanotube arrays 14 d 0.00 0.15 0.50 n.a. 52

TaON/TaON 11.5 f 0.04 0.08 0.15 - - - 70

CoOx/TaON 11.5 f 0.12 0.30 0.55 n.a. 70

CaFe2O4/TaON 11.5 f 0.10 0.15 0.55 n.a. 70

CoOx/CaFe2O4/TaON 11.5 f 0.20 0.40 0.95

0.50

(1.23 V, 3 h) 70

TiO2/TaON 6 h 0.03 0.05 0.14 - - - 71

MnOx/TiO2-TaON 6 h 0.23 0.26 0.30 - - - 72

CoOx/TiO2-TaON 9.2 i 0.48 0.70 1.02

0.45

(0.90 V, 24 h)

Present

Work

a Photocurrent densities at defined potentials vs. RHE derived from the voltametric data.

b Photocurrent densities derived from the chronoamperometric data at defined potential after

defined time (in brackets). Data for the systems exhibiting more than 0.1 mA cm−2

at E < 0.9 V

are shown only. c 1 sun = 100 mW cm

−2. d

1 M KOH or NaOH. e

1 M H2SO4. f 0.1 M phosphate

buffer. g 0.5 M NaOH.

h 0.1 M Na2SO4.

i 0.1 M sodium borate buffer.

j No data available.

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Three major approaches have been developed to improve the stability and performance of the

TaON photoanodes.56

The first is a post-necking treatment commonly applied in dye-sensitized

solar cells.73-76

The use of TiO2,68,71

Ta2O546,69

or TaON46,69

coatings to interconnect the TaON

particles improves charge transport within the electrode and at the electrode|electrolyte interface,

and enhances the water photo-oxidation activity (Table 1). The second approach is to couple

TaON with efficient metal oxide water oxidation catalysts (e.g., IrO2,46,69

CoOx,51

RhOx,48

MnOx72

or CaFe2O470

) similarly to studies on other photoanodes (Table 1). The metal oxide co-

catalyst improves charge separation at the oxynitride surface by scavenging the photogenerated

holes, which typically have short diffusion lengths. This allows suppression of the oxidative

decomposition of TaON and also increases the OER rate due to the higher catalytic activity of

the MOx co-catalyst as compared to TaON. Critical parameters for the efficient and robust MOx-

modified TaON photoanodes are a high dispersion of the co-catalyst and its intimate connection

to the TaON surface. Indeed, a high photo-oxidation activity was reported by Abe and co-

workers for the IrO2/TaON system46,69

(Table 1), but the long-term stability of the photoanode

was limited by the irregular coverage of TaON with the agglomerated co-catalyst nanoparticles.

However, impressive continuous water photo-electrooxidation was possible with the

CoOx/TaON materials containing highly-dispersed and homogeneously distributed cobalt oxide

nanoparticles prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method.51

Similar conclusions

were drawn in our recent studies where a facile photo-assisted electrodeposition method was

used to selectively modify TiO2-covered TaON photoanodes (TiO2-TaON) with MnOx.72

These

multi-component photoanodes exhibited AB-PCEs comparable to that of the IrO2/TaON

photoanode (Table 1), but their stability was inferior to that of the chemically synthesized CoOx-

TaON reported earlier.51

The third approach to improve the performance of the TaON-based and

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other photoanodes is the creation of structured electrodes52-55

as already mentioned above.

Application of materials with a nano-dimensional, well-ordered morphology effectively has been

shown to suppress bulk recombination of the photo-generated holes and electrons, facilitate

charge transport and thus allows very impressive photocurrents to be achieved (Table 1). The

synthesis of this type of electrode, however, requires use of complex and resource-intensive

techniques.

In this study, photo-assisted electrodeposition of CoOx is used to pursue improvements in the

water photo-oxidation activity of the TaON anodes produced by a simple and cost-effective

screen-printing method. Following post-necking with TiO2,71

the fabrication procedures were

optimized by applying various electrodeposition protocols at different pHs to selectively

functionalize the TiO2-TaON surface with highly-dispersed cobalt oxide nanoparticles. For the

first time, titania and cobalt oxides are applied jointly to improve the performance of the TaON

photoanodes. This combination together with the utilization of a photo-electrodeposition method

to produce CoOx, and thorough optimization of the electrode preparation conditions has allowed

the creation of the best performing TaON-based photoanodes for water oxidation reported to

date. Comprehensive characterization of the multicomponent electrodes was undertaken using

scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), inductively coupled

plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) and a set of conventional electrochemical techniques, and

the products of the photo-electrochemical water splitting were analysed quantitatively by gas

chromatography.

EXPERIMENTAL SECTION

Materials. The mesoporous tantalum oxynitride films were prepared by screen-printing the

TaON powder (synthesized as reported elsewhere58

) onto fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated

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glass substrates (Dyesol, NSW, Australia; sheet resistance of 10 Ω cm−2

) following previously

reported procedure.71

All screen-printed TaON films (1.5 µm thick; 0.5 cm × 0.4 cm geometric

area; 1 mgTaON cm−2

loading) were subjected to a post-necking treatment with TiO2 (ca 15 wt.%

unless otherwise stated) using an ethanolic TiCl4 precursor solution.71

All chemicals were used

as obtained from either Merck or Sigma Aldrich. Water purified by reverse osmosis was used for

all experimental procedures.

Photo-electrochemical methods. Measurements were undertaken at ambient temperature

(25 ± 1°C) using a Bio-Logic VSP Modular potentiostat in either a three- or a two-electrode

configuration using a Zahner-Elektrik PECC-1 or a custom-made tightly sealed photo-

electrochemical cell, respectively. Samples within the photo-electrochemical cell were irradiated

using a 150 W xenon arc lamp equipped with a horizontal light beam and an Oriel solar

simulator through AM 1.5G and long pass filters (λ > 400 nm). The visible light intensity of 1

sun (AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm−2

) was calibrated using a Hamamatsu S1133 photodiode. Band pass

filters (average band-width of 10 nm) were used for determination of incident photon-to-current

conversion efficiencies (IPCE) and the corresponding light intensities were measured using a

Hamamatsu S1133 photodiode. In these IPCE measurements, the photocurrent densities were

obtained from either chronoamperograms or voltammograms measured at slow scan rates

(v = 0.005 V s−1

) under chopped monochromatic light irradiation.

Freshly prepared TiO2-TaON films were used as working electrodes for electrodeposition of

CoOx and subsequent characterization. To avoid deposition of CoOx on bare FTO surrounding

the printed TiO2-TaON films, an inert polyimide tape (Kapton) was used as a mask. In some

experiments, CoOx was deposited on unmodified FTO glass (0.2 cm2 area provided by a Kapton

tape mask). A high surface area Pt wire and Ag|AgCl|KCl(sat.) (BAS) were employed as

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auxiliary and reference electrodes, respectively. However, all potentials are reported versus

reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), whose potential was calculated as −0.059pH − 0.197 V vs.

Ag|AgCl|KCl(sat.), unless otherwise stated. Several experiments were undertaken in a single-

compartment two-electrode configuration using a high surface area Pt wire and CoOx-modified

TiO2-TaON films as a counter and working electrode, respectively. Throughout the text, the

currents are normalized to the electrochemically active geometric surface area of the electrodes.

For the CoOx deposition, aqueous 10 mM CoCl2 with 0.1 M Na2SO4 (pH = 5), or 0.5 mM

CoCl2 containing either 0.1 M sodium phosphate (pH = 7) or 0.1 M sodium borate buffer (pH =

9.2) were used, and the resulting materials are denoted as CoOx-S, CoOx-P or CoOx-B,

respectively. Use of the deposition solutions immediately after dissolution of CoCl2 in the buffer

was imperative to achieve photoanodes with high efficiency. A constant potential, Edep, was

applied under 1 sun illumination with λ > 400 nm (hereinafter, visible light) or in the dark for

deposition of CoOx on TiO2-TaON, TaON or bare FTO. The as prepared electrodes were

carefully and copiously rinsed with water before undertaking characterization and photo-

electrochemical measurements. The later included cyclic voltammetric (typically, scan rate, v =

0.025 V s−1

), chronoamperometric and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS; frequency

range 1 Hz to 100 KHz, amplitude 0.01 V) measurements in the dark and under continuous or

chopped visible light irradiation. Aqueous 0.1 M Na2SO4 (pH = 6) solution, 0.1 M phosphate

buffer (pH = 7), or 0.1 M borate buffer (pH = 9.2) were used as supporting electrolyte solutions

during photo-electrochemical measurements for the films modified with CoOx-S, CoOx-P or

CoOx-B, respectively.

Gas chromatography. Quantification of the Faradaic efficiency of the studied photo-

electrochemical processes was achieved by gas chromatographic (GC) analysis using an Agilent

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MicroGC 3000A instrument (thermal conductivity detector; MS-5A column; Ar as a carrier gas)

securely connected to a tightly sealed custom-made photo-electrochemical cell. In these

experiments, a 300 W xenon arc lamp (equipped with a cut-off filter: L-42, HOYA) was used to

provide 6 suns simulated visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm), and the working electrodes had a

geometric surface area of the CoOx/TiO2-TaON films of 1 cm2. These experimental conditions

were needed to allow measurable amounts of gas to be evolved during measurements.

Characterization. The morphology of the photoanode films was examined before and/or after

photo-electrochemical studies using field-emission SEM (FEI Nova NanoSEM 450 FEG and FEI

Magellan 400 FEG) and TEM (JEOL JEM-2100F). The as prepared films on the FTO glass

substrate were mounted over the SEM specimen stubs using a carbon tape and coated with

iridium (ca 2-3 nm thick). For TEM studies, the films were scratched from FTO glass and

deposited on a TEM grid. The amount of electrodeposited Co was determined using ICP-MS

analysis (GBC Optimass 9500). Films were digested in 0.5 ml of concentrated HNO3 (ca 70%)

for 3 hours at 60°C and the resulting Co containing solution was diluted 10 times with 2% HNO3

solution to obtain solutions with Co concentrations below 2 µM (ca 100 ppm). A calibration

curve was measured using a commercially available cobalt stock solution (ICP-MS reference by

AccuStandard) and was used to standardize the raw count rates obtained from the analysis of Co

solutions. An indium solution was used as an internal reference (ICP-MS reference by

AccuStandard) to apply drift corrections. The measurement precision was about 2-4% in terms of

relative standard deviation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The creation of active and robust CoOx-modified TaON water oxidation photoanodes requires

stable nanostructures of the co-catalyst to be formed in the vicinity of photoactive sites present

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on the TaON surface. To achieve this, the CoOx electrodeposition conditions were optimized by

probing the effects of pH, deposition time and irradiation on the photo-oxidation current

densities measured by voltammetry (current-potential dependence) and chronoamperometry

(current-time dependence at constant applied potential). The outcomes of these studies are

briefly summarized in the following section. The photocatalysts fabricated under the optimized

conditions were further studied using a variety of techniques as described below.

Optimization of the CoOx Deposition Conditions. Before introducing the cobalt oxides on

the photoanodes, the screen-printed TaON films were subjected to a post-necking treatment with

a thin TiO2 layer (TiO2-TaON), which is necessary for efficient charge transfer within the

photocatalyst and to enhance its stability.71

Direct deposition of CoOx on the TaON layer resulted

in very unstable and poorly performing photoanodes.

Aqueous CoCl2 solutions containing different supporting electrolytes and varying in pH were

used to electrodeposit the cobalt oxides (see Experimental Section). In the discussion to follow,

the photoanodes are termed CoOx-S (pH = 5, Na2SO4 (aq.)) CoOx-P (pH = 7, phosphate buffer)

and CoOx-B (pH= 9.2, borate buffer). Optimization of the electrodeposition was performed in a

constant potential (Edep) mode under visible light irradiation (1 sun, λ > 400 nm) and for various

deposition times (tdep = 0.5-5 min). Very positive Edep, in the range 1.75-1.94 V vs. RHE, were

needed to deposit sufficient amounts of CoOx. However, deposition at even more positive

potentials (>2 V) did not improve the activity and stability under the conditions examined,

presumably due to oxidative deactivation of TaON. Typical voltammograms and

chronoamperograms obtained under chopped visible light irradiation for the CoOx/TiO2-TaON

films prepared under different conditions are shown in Figs. 1 and S1-2 (Supplementary

Information). Note that the photocatalytic activity of CoOx itself is poor under these conditions.

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Unexpectedly, photo-assisted deposition of CoOx-S on TiO2-TaON resulted in a negligible

enhancement of the oxidative photocurrent densities at potentials below ca 1.0 V and even

deteriorated the performance of the photoanode at more positive potentials (Fig. S1A). The

maximum activity of CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON prepared under irradiation was achieved with

tdep = 3 min. In contrast, both CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON and CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON outperformed the

parent Co-free films at all tdep examined and the optimal deposition time was 1 min (Figs. 1 and

S1B). Chronoamperometric measurements at the very positive potential of 1.5 V were

undertaken to assess the stability of the films towards corrosion (Fig. S2). In accordance with our

expectations, CoOx significantly enhanced the stability of the TaON-based photoanodes,

especially when electrodeposition and testing were performed in borate buffer solutions.

Importantly, even the CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON system showed reasonable short-term stability and

higher activity than TiO2-TaON under these strongly oxidising conditions (Fig. S2A).

Figure 1. Voltammograms (v = 0.025 V s−1

) obtained under chopped visible light irradiation

(1 sun, λ > 400 nm) for CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON compared to TiO2-TaON (black dotted) and TaON

(black solid) films in contact with aqueous 0.1 M borate buffer (pH 9.2). CoOx was

electrodeposited from a 0.5 mM CoCl2 aqueous solution buffered with 0.1 M borate (pH 9.2) at a

constant potential (Edep = 1.94 V vs. RHE) and for varying illumination times (1 sun, λ > 400

nm). Voltammograms are corrected for the corresponding dark current at 0.55 V to facilitate

photocurrent comparisons.

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

0.3 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5

J / m

A c

m−²

E vs. RHE / V

Light 0.5 min

Light 1 min

Light 2 min

Light 3 min

Light 4 min

Light 5 min

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0.5 min 1 min

2 min 3 min 4 min 5 min

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CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON

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Previously, we demonstrated that post-necking the screen-printed TaON photoanodes with

titania improved their stability and activity.71

We undertook extensive optimization of the TiO2-

deposition procedure and adopted here the conditions providing TiO2-TaON samples with the

best performance to prepare the CoOx-modified anodes. To further demonstrate the importance

of the TiO2 coating for stable and efficient operation of the catalysts under study, CoOx-B/TiO2-

TaON electrodes with 50% lower and 50% higher than the optimal TiO2 loadings and also

titania-free CoOx-B/TaON electrodes were prepared and tested for water oxidation. As is shown

in Fig. S3, within the potential range examined, the photocurrent densities were highest for the

films containing optimized amounts of TiO2 (e.g., 0.93 mA cm−2

at 1.25 V) as compared to

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON films with lower (0.63 mA cm−2

) and higher (0.38 mA cm−2

) loadings and

especially to the titania-free CoOx-B/TaON films (ca 0.05 mA cm−2

).

The optimization studies emphasized the effect of the CoOx and TiO2 loadings on the photo-

oxidation activity of the TaON photoanodes. In particular, sufficient CoOx co-catalyst amount is

needed to allow notable synergistic effects, but should be below the limit when it starts

interfering with light absorption by tantalum oxynitride. These findings are consistent with the

reports on the photo-oxidation activity of TiO2-TaON,71

and TiO2-TaON modified with (photo)-

electrodeposited MnOx.72

The influence of the preparation conditions on the performance of the

CoOx/TiO2-TaON photoanodes is discussed in the following section.

Effect of Irradiation on CoOx Loading and Microstructure. The amount of CoOx

electrodeposited onto the TiO2-TaON photoanodes was determined by ICP-MS (Table 2). At

very positive deposition potentials, water (photo)oxidation contributed substantially to the

deposition current transients (Fig. S4). Indeed, at the least positive Edep examined, the Faradaic

efficiency for deposition of CoOx-S was 17-18%, and only a few percent for deposition of

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CoOx-P and CoOx-B (Table 2). This difference in Edep used for experiments with sulphate and

buffered solutions was also reflected in the effect of irradiation on the amount of CoOx deposited

on the electrode surface. For CoOx-S, twice the amount of cobalt was deposited under

illumination as compared to in the dark (Table 2). This observation confirms that oxidation of

dissolved Co2+

(aq.) species is promoted by TaON under visible light irradiation. In contrast,

irradiation reduced the efficiency of CoOx deposition by ca 3-fold when more positive Edep were

applied in buffered solutions at higher pH (see ICP-MS data, Table 2). At the same time, very

similar currents, dominated by water rather than Co2+

(aq.) oxidation, were measured during dark

and photo-assisted deposition of both CoOx-P and CoOx-B (see deposition charge data, Table 2

and Fig. S4). Therefore, the specific (Co-amount weighted) water electrooxidation activity is ca

3 times higher for the CoOx co-catalyst produced on the TiO2-TaON surface under irradiation.

Table 2. Properties of the CoOx/TiO2-TaON films produced under different conditions.

Sample Edep / V

vs. RHE

Deposition

solution

Deposition

conditions

ΓCo a / μg cm

−2 Faradaic

efficiency for

deposition d,

%

Transient

activity at

1.05 V e,

J / mA cm−2

ICP-MS

b Deposition

charge c

CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON 1.75

10 mM Co2+

(pH = 5,

Na2SO4)

dark, 3 min 1.3 6.9 18 0.55

light, 3 min 2.6 15 17 0.10

CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON 1.81

0.5 mM Co2+

(pH = 7,

phosphate)

dark, 1 min 0.83 49 1.7 0.76

light, 1 min 0.31 56 0.56 0.32

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON 1.94

0.5 mM Co2+

(pH = 9.2,

borate)

dark, 1 min 2.5 87 2.9 0.87

light, 1 min 0.93 92 1.0 0.75

CoOx-B/FTO 1.94

0.5 mM Co2+

(pH = 9.2,

borate)

dark, 1 min 2.0 62 3.1 - - -

CoOx-B/TiO2-FTO 1.7 60 2.8 - - -

a Amount of Co normalized to the geometrical area of the screen-printed TaON film.

b ICP-MS

analysis was undertaken on solutions obtained by digesting the electrodes in HNO3 (see

Experimental). c

Estimated by using the charge measured during Co2+

(aq) electrodeposition (Q /

C) and Faraday’s law, NCo =

, where NCo / mol is the theoretical maximum of Co

II oxidized to

CoOx, F = 96485 C mol−1

is the Faraday constant, n is the number of electrons transferred, which

is assumed to be 1.8 on the basis of the XANES studies on electrodeposited CoOx.77

d Ratio of

the Co content derived from the ICP-MS analysis to that estimated from the deposition charge. e

Photocurrent density derived from voltametric measurements (Fig. 5).

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Differences in the properties of the various CoOx/TiO2-TaON photoanodes were confirmed by

cyclic voltammetry (Fig. 2). The CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON and CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON films as well as

the TaON-free CoOx-B/FTO control sample exhibited well-defined voltammetric responses

characteristic of electrodeposited cobalt oxides78

(Fig. 2A and 2C). Previous detailed ex situ and

in situ XAS studies have concluded that these electrodeposited materials are based on Co-

oxo/hydroxo structural motifs similar to those found in the CoO(OH) heterogenite phase.77-80

Less pronounced CoOx signals were found for CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON (Fig. 2B) due to the lower

amount of deposited cobalt oxide (Table 2). Generally, the charge associated with the CoOx

redox transformations measured by cyclic voltammetry agreed well with the differences in the

cobalt concentrations determined by ICP-MS (cf. data in Fig. 2 and Table 2).

Figure 2. Cyclic voltammograms (scan rate, v = 0.025 V s−1

) in the dark for the TiO2-TaON

(black), CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON (red), CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON (green), CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON (blue) and

CoOx-B/FTO (purple) films in contact with either 0.1 M borate (pH 9.2) (red, purple) or 0.1 M

phosphate (pH = 7) buffer (green), or 0.1 M Na2SO4 (pH = 6) (blue). CoOx was electrodeposited

in the dark (dashed curves) or under illumination (solid curves). Other conditions were as

defined in Table 2.

-80

-40

0

40

80

120

E vs. RHE / V

Series4

Series1

Series7

Series3

A light

dark

dark, CoOx-B/FTO

TiO2-TaON

-80

-40

0

40

80

120

J /

µA

cm

−2

E vs. RHE / V

Series2

Series7

Series3

B light

dark

TiO2-TaON

CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON

-80

-40

0

40

80

120

0.75 0.95 1.15 1.35 1.55

E vs. RHE / V

Series4

Series1

Series3

C light

dark

TiO2-TaON

CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON

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The microstructure of the CoOx deposits was analysed using SEM for all samples synthesized

under optimized conditions (Fig. 3 and Figs. S5-S6) and with TEM for the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON

films prepared using the photo-assisted method (Fig. 4). Inspection of the SEM micrographs

obtained for TiO2-TaON (Fig. 3A), CoOx-B/FTO (Fig. 3B), CoOx-B/TiO2-FTO (Fig. 3C and S6)

and CoOx/TiO2-TaON (Fig. 3D-F and S5) reveals that cobalt oxide is deposited in the form of

small particles. This is corroborated by TEM analysis that allowed fine visualization of the

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON interface (Fig. 4). The micrographs in Fig. 4 clearly show that

(semi)spherical cobalt oxide nanoparticles with diameters of 5-15 nm are embedded into the thin

disordered TiO2 layer (2-3 nm) that uniformly covers the TaON surface. The higher

magnification TEM images of the CoOx particles suggest that these very small crystallites exhibit

an interplanar spacing of ca 0.22 ± 0.01 nm under conditions relevant to Fig. 4. This is consistent

with the (111) plane for CoOOH (PDF 26-480) suggested as a major structural motif of

electrodeposited CoOx,80

but presence of other phases cannot be ruled out on the basis of this

TEM data. Most importantly, the selectivity of deposition and degree of agglomeration of CoOx

particles depended strongly on the preparation conditions. As demonstrated below, this has

significant implications for the catalytic properties of the CoOx/TiO2-TaON photoanodes.

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Figure 3. SEM images obtained for (A) TiO2-TaON, (B) CoOx-B/FTO, (C) CoOx-B/TiO2-FTO,

(D) CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON, (E) CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON and (F) CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON.

Electrodeposition of CoOx was performed in the dark (i) or under illumination (ii) for 1 min (E,

F) or 3 min (D) (see also Table 2).

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Figure 4. TEM images obtained for CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON. Photo-assisted electrodeposition of

CoOx was undertaken for 1 min and as indicated in Table 2.

The importance of irradiation for achieving selective modification of the TiO2-TaON surface

with CoOx is best demonstrated by the SEM data for the CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON and CoOx-B/TiO2-

TaON films (Figs. 3D, F and S5B). In the dark, CoOx-S and CoOx-B were electrodeposited

randomly and non-uniformly on both the TiO2-TaON aggregates and the TiO2-coated FTO

surface that remained uncovered after screen-printing of TaON, the latter being more preferable

for cobalt oxide deposition from the sulphate solutions (see Figs. 3D, F). In contrast, photo-

assisted electrodeposition resulted in the selective and homogeneous deposition of CoOx-S and

CoOx-B on TiO2-TaON (Figs. 3D, F and S5B). Surprisingly, irradiation had no obvious influence

on the selectivity of electrodeposition for the CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON system under the conditions

employed (see Figs. 3E and S5A). In this case, small isolated islands of cobalt oxide were found

on both the TaON-covered and TaON-free areas of the electrode.

The lowest degree of agglomeration of the CoOx particles was achieved when using the photo-

assisted method, buffered Co2+

solutions and tdep = 1 min (Fig. 3F, ii). Increasing the amount of

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electrodeposited cobalt oxide, as provided by higher tdep, improved the coverage of the TiO2-

TaON surface, but also resulted in its agglomeration (Fig. S5). A higher degree of agglomeration

was typical for the CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON films (tdep = 3 min) irrespective of the illumination

conditions (Fig. 3D).

Taken together, the electrochemical and microscopic data provide consistent evidence for the

selective immobilization of highly dispersed CoOx particles on the TiO2-TaON surface when

using the photo-assisted electrodeposition method and Co2+

precursor solutions containing

sodium sulphate (pH = 6.0) or borate buffer (pH = 9.2). The very positive deposition potentials

used in this work also allowed CoOx to be formed on the TiO2-TaON surface in the dark, but

with notable amount of cobalt oxide also deposited on the TaON-free TiO2-FTO surface.

Photo-oxidation Activity of CoOx/TiO2-TaON. Differences in the cobalt oxide loadings,

location and microstructure were reflected in the water oxidation activities of CoOx/TiO2-TaON

photocatalysts, which was initially assessed using voltammetry under chopped visible light

irradiation (1 sun, λ > 400 nm) (Fig. 5). In the dark, the water oxidation current densities were

well below 0.1 mA cm−2

at potentials less positive than ca 1.5 V as expected for the CoOx-

catalyzed OER.78,80

On the contrary, a well-defined photo-oxidative response was observed for

all CoOx/TiO2-TaON materials at potentials as low as 0.35-0.40 V (Fig. 5). The only exception

was CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON synthesized via photo-electrodeposition. Thus, the synergistic effect of

wiring an efficient electrooxidation catalyst, CoOx, to the TaON-based photoanode has been

confirmed, consistent with the previous reports on IrO2-,46

CoOx-51

and MnOx-72

TaON materials.

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Figure 5. Voltammograms (v = 0.025 V s−1

) obtained under chopped visible light irradiation

(1 sun, λ > 400 nm) for the CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON (blue), CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON (green),

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON (red), TiO2-TaON (black-dotted) and TaON (black-solid) films in contact

with (A) 0.1 M Na2SO4 (pH = 6), (B) 0.1 M phosphate (pH = 7) (B) or (C) 0.1 M borate buffer

(pH = 9.2). CoOx was electrodeposited in the dark (dashed curves) or under illumination (solid

curves) for a set period of time (see also Table 2).

As initially found in the optimization studies, photo-assisted modification of the TiO2-TaON

films with CoOx-S deteriorated the water oxidation activity (Fig. 5A). This is rationalized in

terms of suppression of light absorption by excessive amounts of cobalt oxide agglomerates

created on the photoactive tantalum oxynitride surface, as demonstrated by SEM and ICP-MS

analysis (see Fig. 3D and Table 2). Longer tdep might also lead to enhanced TaON degradation

during deposition. However, it is noted again that a decrease in tdep and the amount of the photo-

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

Light on/off

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2 J / m

A c

m−²

Dark 1 min

Light 1 min

4x5 uL

plain

dark, 1 min light, 1 min

TiO2-TaON TaON

CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON

-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

0.3 0.5 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.5 E vs. RHE / V

Dark 1 min

Light 1 min

4x5 uL

plain


TiO2-TaON TaON

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON


TiO2-TaON TaON

CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON A

B

C

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electrodeposited CoOx-S species resulted in even poorer performance (Fig. S1). In contrast, a

reduction in the amount of deposited CoOx, achieved through the use of more dilute buffered

Co2+

precursor solutions (Table 2), maintained efficient light absorption and improved photo-

oxidation performance as compared to the parent TiO2-TaON photoanode (Fig. 5B-C). For

example, photocurrent densities of ca 0.82 and 0.38 mA cm−2

at 1.2 V (corresponds to the OER

overpotential of ηOER = −0.03 V) were produced by the CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON films synthesized by

dark and photo-assisted electrodeposition, respectively. In comparison, ca 0.13 mA cm−2

was

measured for TiO2-TaON. In borate buffer (pH = 9.2), even higher improvements were achieved

with the best performing CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON films prepared in the dark (0.97 mA cm−2

at 1.2 V)

or under illumination (0.85 mA cm−2

at 1.2 V) (Fig. 5C). At less positive potentials, i.e. very

negative ηOER, enhancements in the photocurrent densities of up to 20-fold (in the 0.35-0.70 V

range) were possible by depositing CoOx onto the TiO2-TaON photoanodes (Fig. 5B-C).

EIS analysis, performed at 1.15 V under visible light irradiation, confirmed the outcomes of

the voltammetric measurements shown in Fig. 5. Indeed, deposition of CoOx onto the TiO2-

TaON films decreased the impedance, i.e. facilitated charge transfer, under photocatalytic

conditions for all samples examined, with the exception of only CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON prepared

via the photo-assisted approach (Fig. S7). More pronounced improvements in the charge transfer

properties under irradiation were always found for samples modified with CoOx using the dark

electrodeposition method. The major contribution to the changes in the EI spectra induced by the

CoOx is a substantial decrease in the Faraday impedance, which reflects the rate of charge

transfer associated with water oxidation at the electrode|electrolyte interface. This conclusion

rests upon semi-quantitative simulations undertaken using the equivalent circuit employed

previously to analyse the TiO2-TaON photoanodes.71

EIS experiment-simulation comparisons

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are not reported for the multicomponent CoOx/TiO2-TaON photoanodes studied herein due to

ambiguities in the parameterization of the relevant model.

Analysis of the voltammetric and EIS data confirms that introduction of CoOx on the TiO2-

TaON films improves transfer of the photo-generated holes to the catalytically active sites on the

photoanode surface and thus facilitates water oxidation. This is also expected to supress the

oxidative self-deactivation of tantalum oxynitride. Overall, these results highlight the intricate

dependence of the catalytic properties of the multicomponent CoOx/TiO2-TaON photoanodes on

their structure and composition. A seemingly unexpected outcome of these experiments is the

finding that all samples produced using the photo-assisted deposition method were outperformed

by the CoOx/TiO2-TaON photocatalysts prepared in the dark (Fig. 5 and Fig. S7). As discussed

above, a substantial and sometimes dominating portion of CoOx electrodeposited in the dark was

immobilized on the TaON-free areas of the photoanodes, as best seen with the CoOx-S/TiO2-

TaON samples (Fig. 3). These coarse structures may be connected to the light-harvesting TaON

particles in some ill-defined way and can hardly contribute to the efficient water photo-oxidation

exemplified in Fig. 5. More realistically, the high activity of the CoOx/TiO2-TaON photoanodes

prepared by dark electrodeposition may originate from the comparatively small loadings of CoOx

on the TiO2-TaON surface (see micrographs (i) in Figs. 3D-F) whose formation was possible

owing to very positive Edep used. Lower amounts of CoOx should improve light absorption by the

underlying TaON, while good dispersion of the catalyst should enhance charge separation and

the rate of water oxidation. To confirm this hypothesis, a CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON photoanode was

prepared using a very short photo-electrodeposition of 1 s and its performance was only ca 10-

15% worse than that of an optimized CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON sample prepared with tdep = 1 min.

This observation suggests that very low loadings of the CoOx co-catalyst on the TaON-based

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photoanodes are sufficient to sustain a high water photo-oxidation activity. However, the above

conclusion is derived from comparatively fast and non-steady state voltammetric and EIS

measurements. Therefore, in the next section we investigate the long-term stability of the highly-

dispersed cobalt oxide and/or the underlying TiO2-TaON under catalytic conditions.

Stability of the Photoanodes. The stability of the semiconductor-based photocatalytic

materials is one of the most critical problems to tackle in the development of the solar water

splitting and other technologies. As explained above, one well-established reason for the

instability of the TaON-based photocatalysts is oxidative self-deactivation attributable to the

short diffusion lengths of the photo-generated holes, and their reaction with N3−

to produce N2

and Ta2O5.19,46,69

The post-necking treatment resolves this problem to some extent,71

but

introduction of a co-catalyst capable of efficiently scavenging holes from the TaON surface

should improve the stability further.46,51,72

However, as noted above, optimization of the amount

and structure of the co-catalyst, CoOx in our case, is important. In what follows, we focus mainly

on stability of the CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON and CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON films as they produced higher

photo-oxidation activities than samples prepared and tested in sodium sulphate solutions.

Chronoamperograms under chopped irradiation conditions at a range of applied potentials

confirmed a significant enhancement in the photo-oxidation activity of TiO2-TaON upon

modification with CoOx-P and CoOx-B (Fig. 6). The comparatively fast deterioration in the

performance of the cobalt-free TiO2-TaON further emphasized the advantages of coupling the

TaON-based photoanodes to efficient water oxidation catalysts such as CoOx. However, even

during these short-term measurements the CoOx-modified samples deteriorated in performance.

In particular, the photocurrent density measured for CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON prepared by dark

electrodeposition decreased continuously, even at 0.5 V. The CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON film produced

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using photo-assisted deposition was more stable, but still prone to degradation at potentials

≥1.2 V. The CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON photoanodes exhibited much better short-term stability,

although some degradation of the samples produced by dark electrodeposition was observed at

1.5 V. The data in Fig. 6 were obtained by changing the potential from more to less positive

values. Therefore, degradation suffered by each type of CoOx/TiO2-TaON under more oxidising

conditions contributed to the photocatalytic performance achieved during subsequent

measurements with smaller applied biases. Analysis of Fig. 6 from this angle also emphasises the

advantage of the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON synthesised under irradiation over the other photoanodes

examined.

Figure 6. Chronoamperograms obtained for water photo-oxidation at defined potentials

(vs. RHE) by CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON (red, blue), CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON (green, magenta) and

TiO2-TaON (black) films in contact with 0.1 M borate (pH 9.2) (red, blue, black) or

0.1 M phosphate (pH = 7) (green, magenta) buffers under chopped visible light irradiation

(1 sun, λ > 400 nm). CoOx was electrodeposited in the dark (blue, magenta) or under illumination

(red, green) for 1 min (see also Table 2).

To compare the longer-term performance of the CoOx/TiO2-TaON films, chronoamperometric

stability tests, accelerated by using a harsh potential of 1.5 V, were undertaken. Inspection of the

data in Fig. 7A highlights the poor stability of all CoOx/TiO2-TaON materials prepared in the

dark, as is highlighted by decrease in photocurrent densities of 80-90% during initial period of

test (10-15 min, Fig. 7A) for the CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON and CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON films. Similarly

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prepared anodes, but under illumination, were more stable with only 20% degradation during the

initial 15 min and much slower degradation thereafter. The stability of the CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON

anodes was improved to an extent by increasing the amount of photo-electrodeposited CoOx to

facilitate scavenging of the photo-generated holes, but there is a concomitant loss in initial

activity (Fig. S8A). Of the photoanodes prepared by dark electrodeposition, the CoOx-B/TiO2-

TaON films showed the best stability. A 30% decrease in the photocurrent density was found

during the 2 h test, and extension of these measurements to 12 h showed that the performance of

these CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON photoanodes decreases by more than 60% (Fig. 7). In contrast, the

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON film prepared by using photo-assisted deposition exhibited much improved

stability. These films suffered a deterioration of only 20% during the initial 2 h, but then

maintained a quasi-steady state for at least 10 h (Fig. 7B). Increasing the CoOx-B loading did not

provide further significant improvements in stability (Fig. S8B).

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Figure 7. Chronoamperograms obtained for water photo-oxidation under visible light irradiation

(1 sun, λ > 400 nm) by (A) CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON in 0.1 M borate buffer (pH = 9.2) (red),

CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH = 7) (green), CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON in

0.1 M Na2SO4 (pH = 6) (blue), TiO2-TaON in 0.1 M borate buffer (pH 9.2) (black), and by (B)

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON 0.1 M borate buffer (pH = 9.2). (C) Water splitting in a two-electrode

configuration using the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON photoanode and Pt cathode in 0.1 M borate buffer

(pH 9.2). CoOx was electrodeposited in the dark (dashed curves) or under illumination (solid

curves) for 1 min (red, green, purple, brown, magenta) or 3 min (blue) (see also Table 2). Each

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

J / m

A c

m−²

t / h

Series1

Series4

Series2

Series7

Series3

Series6

Series5

light

dark

light

dark

light

dark

TiO2-TaON

CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON

CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON A 1.5 V

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

J / m

A c

m−²

t / h

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON Bdark, 1.5 V

light, 1.5 V

light, 1.2 V

light, 0.9 V

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

J / m

A c

m−²

t / min

light, 1.2 V

light, 0.9 V

light, 0.5 V

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON C

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chronoamperogram was obtained using a freshly prepared electrode not used previously for long-

term catalytic testing.

The initial drop in performance of the CoOx/TiO2-TaON films may originate from ineffective

hole scavenging by the randomly deposited CoOx and/or changes to the CoOx co-catalyst layer

during long-term measurements. Both factors can promote oxidative self-deactivation of TaON.

For CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON, comparison of the SEM micrographs of the as-prepared films and those

after water photo-oxidation (1 h, 1.5 V) reveals that a substantial portion of the CoOx-P deposits

has been scavenged from the TiO2-TaON surface during the catalytic measurements (cf. Figs. 3E

and 8A). This observation explains the continuous degradation in performance of these particular

photoanodes (Fig. 7). Dissolution/reprecipitation of CoOx is a well-established phenomenon in

water oxidation at very positive potentials even in alkaline solutions.78,81

Presumably, very low

co-catalyst loadings in CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON lead to poor stability at positive potentials.

Comparison of the SEM images for the as-synthesized and tested CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON

suggests that these samples did not suffer significant irreversible cobalt oxide depletion even

after 15 h at 1.5 V, but structural changes in the CoOx layer were found (cf. Figs. 3F and 8B). For

the catalyst prepared by dark CoOx-B electrodeposition, the co-catalyst was almost completely

removed from the TaON-free surface, and presumably redeposited on the TiO2-TaON particles

(Fig. 8Bi). For these photoanodes, dissolution/redeposition of CoOx resulted in agglomeration

and formation of dense layers of CoOx aggregates on the TaON surface, which was reflected in a

continuous deterioration in performance. Thus, the CoOx electrodeposited in the dark is not

stable at positive potentials. It suffers from irreversible dissolution at lower pH (CoOx-S and

CoOx-P) or forms coarser deposits at higher pH via dissolution/redeposition (CoOx-B). In

contrast, minor morphological changes were observed for the corresponding catalysts prepared

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by photo-assisted electrodeposition. These changes explain the initial drop in activity and

subsequent quasi-stable operation of the photoanode (Fig. 7B).

Figure 8. SEM images obtained for (A) CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON after 1 h and (B) CoOx-B/TiO2-

TaON after 15 h of testing at 1.5 V (vs. RHE) under continuous visible light irradiation (1 sun,

λ > 400 nm) in contact with (A) 0.1 M phosphate (pH = 7) and (B) 0.1 M borate buffer (pH 9.2).

CoOx was electrodeposited over TiO2-TaON films in the dark (i) or under illumination (ii) for

1 min (see also Table 2).

Photo-electrodeposition of very small amounts of CoOx-B onto TiO2-TaON (e.g., using

tdep = 1 s) also resulted in unsatisfactory stability (data not shown). In contrast, CoOx/TiO2-TaON

photoanodes prepared via photo-assisted electrodeposition (tdep = 1-3 min) exhibit good stability,

especially when prepared and tested at higher pH (9.2). Notably, the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON anodes

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always outperformed the best CoOx-S- and CoOx-P-modified samples prepared in sulphate and

phosphate solutions but tested in the borate buffer at pH 9.2. Enhancements in the

photooxidation activity of CoOx-S/TiO2-TaON and CoOx-P/TiO2-TaON achieved by using

buffered solutions with pH 9.2 for water oxidation were not substantial (below 10%), similarly to

our previous findings on TiO2-TaON71

and MnOx/TiO2-TaON72

photoanodes. This observation

suggests that the performance of the studied multi-component photoanodes is mainly determined

by the capacity of the CoOx co-catalyst to withdraw photogenerated holes from TaON, rather

than by the intrinsic electrocatalytic properties of cobalt oxides, which are pH- and supporting

anion-dependent.78,82

At potentials of 1.2 and 0.9 V, which correspond to water oxidation overpotentials of ca −0.03

and −0.33 V, a very stable operation was found for the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON film prepared under

illumination (Fig. 7B and S9). Very similar performance was achieved by this photoanode when

it was used for water splitting under visible light irradiation in a two-electrode configuration,

using a high-surface area Pt cathode. The products of water splitting in three- (1.2 V vs. RHE)

and two-electrode (∆E = 1.2 V) configurations were analyzed by gas chromatography using

larger electrodes and higher intensity visible light irradiation (6 suns) to achieve significant

product yields. In both cases, H2 and O2 gases were evolved in a 2:1 stoichiometry with a close

to 100% Faradaic efficiency during the time course of 2 h measurements (Fig. 9 and Table S1).

Water splitting was still possible with the application of a 0.5 V potential between the

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON photoanode and Pt cathode in a two-electrode cell (J = 0.10 mA cm−2

), but

the efficiency of the process was negligible at 0.3 V (J < 0.010 mA cm−2

).

We also examined the effect of concentration of the supporting borate buffer solution on the

performance of the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON films prepared by photo-electrodeposition. Increasing

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the borate buffer (pH = 9.2) concentration from 0.1 to 0.5 M allowed slight (10-15%)

improvement in the activity and more importantly provided better stability of the photoanode at

the harsh potential of 1.5 V and under 3 sun visible light irradiation (Fig. S10). Apart from a

decrease in the Ohmic losses provided by higher concentration of the electrolyte, this

improvement can be attributed to facilitated proton transfer.51,83-86

Figure 9. Evolution of H2 and O2 during water splitting by the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON photoanode

under continuous visible light irradiation (6 suns, λ > 400 nm) at 1.2 V vs. RHE and by a high

surface area Pt cathode in contact with 0.1 M borate buffer (pH 9.2). Measurements were done in

a three-electrode configuration. CoOx was photo-electrodeposited for 1 min (see also Table 2).

Efficiency of the Photoanodes. Quantification of the capacity of a photo-electrocatalyst to

convert irradiation into current can be done by calculating the incident photon-to-current

conversion efficiency (IPCE)17,87

as a function of the wavelength of the light using the formula:

IPCE(λ) = 1239.8

,

where 1239.8 / J C−1

nm is the product of the Planck’s constant and the speed of light divided by

electron charge, J / A cm−2

is the photocurrent density, λ / nm is wavelength of the

monochromatic light, and Pmono / W cm−2

is intensity of the monochromatic light.

The IPCE spectra (Fig. 10) for the best performing CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON films, prepared by

photo-assisted electrodeposition, were calculated using the water oxidation photocurrent

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 0.5 1 1.5 2

Amount of Evolved Gas /

µm

ol

t / h

H2

O2

e-/2

e-/4

H2

O2

e−/2

e−/4

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densities derived from the chronoamperograms and comparatively slow voltammograms for the

parent TiO2-TaON films. The sums of the photocurrent densities measured under monochromatic

light irradiation (within the 390-530 nm range) were in agreement with those obtained under

non-filtered 1 sun visible light irradiation within ca 10% error.

Figure 10. IPCE spectra obtained at defined potentials for CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON (solid curves)

and TiO2-TaON (dashed curves) in contact with 0.1 M borate buffer (pH 9.2). The photocurrent

densities were derived from the chronoamperograms (CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON) or voltammograms

(v = 0.005 V s−1

) (TiO2-TaON) obtained under chopped monochromatic light irradiation.

Conditions for CoOx photo-electrodeposition (1 sun, λ > 400 nm; tdep = 1 min) are given in

Table 2. Lines are visual guides.

Comparison of the IPCE spectra for the CoOx-modified and cobalt-free TiO2-TaON films does

not reveal significant differences in their shape, which confirms that the light-harvesting material

is still TaON (Fig. 10). As expected, IPCE values increased with the potential applied and

reached 23-27% for the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON films within the potential range 1.1-1.3 V with

λ = 410 nm, cf. 0.6-1.1% for the parent TiO2-TaON films. One fundamental property of a

semiconductor photocatalyst, TaON in the particular case, that defines the IPCE is the efficiency

of separation of the photo-generated charge carriers. As anticipated (see Scheme 1 and relevant

discussions in Introduction), the IPCE data clearly show that this is substantially improved upon

modification of TaON with TiO2 and CoOx. The most significant enhancement in IPCE (by ca

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45-fold) was achieved at potentials more negative than 0.9 V. These IPCE values can be

compared to those reported for the photoanodes based on other semiconductors, e.g.,

CoOx/BiVO4 (25% at 1.2 V),50

NiOx/CoOx/BiVO4 (58% at 1.2 V),50

IrO2/Fe2O3 (38% at 1.23

V),47

CaFe2O4/TaON (30% at 1.23 V),70

and WO3 (80% at 1.2 V).67

A widely employed route to enhancing the current generated by a photo-electrocatalyst is to

use concentrated irradiation with much higher light intensities (P). Previously, we have

established that the photon-to-current efficiency of the TaON-based photoanodes decreases when

the intensity of visible is higher than 1 sun.71

The CoOx/TiO2-TaON system exhibited a similar

behaviour (Fig. 11). Thus, although the presence of CoOx enhances substantially the capacity of

TiO2-TaON to utilize high intensity visible light irradiation, the performance at P > 1 sun still

seems to be limited by the intrinsic properties of the TaON films.

As noted above, unassisted water splitting could not be achieved using the CoOx/TiO2-TaON

photoanodes and a platinum cathode (Fig. 7B), but we have demonstrated near 100% Faradaic

efficiency of this HER/OER system when an additional driving force was applied. The

photocatalytic efficiency compensated for this supplementary bias can be calculated as:21

AB-SHE = .

,

where AB-SHE is applied-bias-compensated solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, J / A cm−2

is the

photocurrent density derived from chronoamperometric measurements, εF is the Faradaic

efficiency for the HER/OER, 1.23 V is the theoretical potential for water splitting, Eapp is the

applied potential vs. RHE and P / W cm−2

is the light intensity.

The highest AB-SHEs were achieved at 0.9 V for all photoanodes examined (Fig. S11). The

CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON catalyst prepared using photo-assisted electrodeposition delivered an

efficiency of 0.15% at 0.9 V and 0.05 % at very small potential of 0.5 V. This is stable for at

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least 24 hours and is at least two orders of magnitude higher than for the parent TiO2-TaON

anode. The AB-SHEs for the other samples studied were all lower and also degraded over time.

Figure 11. Effect of visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm) intensity on the oxidative photocurrent

densities, derived from voltammetric measurements (v = 0.025 V s−1

) at the defined potentials

(vs. RHE), for (A) CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON and (B) TiO2-TaON in contact with 0.1 M borate buffer

(pH 9.2). CoOx was photo-electrodeposited (tdep = 1 min) (see Table 2). Lines are visual guides.

Comparisons of the photocatalytic efficiency (IPCE, AB-SHE or AB-PCE) of CoOx/TiO2-

TaON to those achieved with other water photo-electrooxidation systems, especially the best

ones using BiVO4 as a light-harvester (Table 1), suggest that despite the efforts made, the TaON-

based photoanodes seem to be still lagging behind.11,19,20,46,48,51,57,58,68-72

Nevertheless, the

0.0

0.4

0.8

1.2

1.6

2.0

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

J /

mA

cm

−²

Light Intensity / sun

1.5 V 1.3 V 1.1 V 0.9 V 0.7 V 0.5 V

A

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

J / m

A c

m−

2

Light Intensity / sun

1.5 V 1.3 V 1.1 V 0.9 V 0.7 V 0.5 V

B

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performance of the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON photoanode under visible light (IPCE 23-27%) is

comparable to that of the CoOx-modified BiVO4 tested under full spectrum of the simulated

1 sun irradiation (IPCE 25%) (Table 1). Moreover, direct comparisons of the TaON-based and

other photoanodes studied under either visible light or full AM 1.5G spectrum can be misleading.

Indeed, the photocurrent density generated by TaON water oxidation anodes tested under full

simulated sun spectrum can exceed that under light with λ > 400 nm by at least an order of

magnitude at moderately positive applied potentials (below ca 0.6 V vs. RHE).52

The most

impressive performances of the TaON-based photo-electrocatalysts achieved so far were

obtained when using full solar spectrum,53,54

rather than its visible part only. However, extensive

optimization studies would be needed to create a CoOx-modified TaON photoanode that is highly

efficient under full AM1.5G spectrum due to partial absorption of UV-light by the CoOx co-

catalyst.80

Further improvements in the dispersion of the CoOx co-catalyst and especially fine-tuning of

the TaON micro/nanostructure52-55

could lead to enhancements in internal charge transport and

concomitant increases in the photon-to-current efficiencies of these multicomponent

photoanodes. We note that the CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON system reported herein outperforms all

TaON-based photocatalysts for water oxidation tested under visible light irradiation reported to

date, notwithstanding the fact that TaON films deposited via a simple screen-printing process,

rather than more advanced nanostructured arrays, were used in our investigations (Table 1). An

important advantage of CoOx-B/TiO2-TaON is its exceptional stability even under very harsh

oxidising conditions. These achievements were made possible through the use of a photo-

assisted electrodeposition strategy to functionalize the TiO2-TaON photoanodes with CoOx.

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What is equally important, however, is the comprehensive optimization of both the titania post-

necking and co-catalyst deposition protocols.

CONCLUSIONS

The strategy employed herein to enhance the water photo-oxidation capacity of the TaON-

based photoanodes via post-necking with TiO2 coatings followed by introduction of a layer of

highly-dispersed CoOx particles has allowed creation of an efficient and very robust catalyst. A

high degree of dispersion of the CoOx particles and their homogeneous coverage of the TiO2-

TaON surface was achieved by photo-assisted electrodeposition from slightly alkaline solutions

(borate buffer with pH = 9.2), where the holes generated by TaON oxidize the Co2+

aqua ions.

Among the TaON-based photoanodes, the CoOx/TiO2-TaON system reported herein exhibits the

highest oxidative photocurrent densities at potentials below 1.23 V (vs. RHE) under visible light

irradiation and stability that allows steady operation for at least 24 h. The comprehensive

optimization study reported herein can also serve as a guide for selective and fine

functionalization of semiconductor catalysts for water splitting and other processes.

Further advances in the efficiency of the TaON-based photocatalysts for water splitting may

become possible via considered engineering of the microstructure and/or doping of the tantalum

oxynitride nanostructures to enhance the intrinsic efficiency of the material to convert photons

into electricity. Subsequent procedures for modification of TaON with protective coatings and

efficient water oxidation co-catalysts seem to be well-established now. Hopefully, this strategy

will eventually allow unassisted water splitting to be accomplished without the need to apply an

additional bias or couple the photo-electrochemical cell to a photovoltaic device.

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ASSOCIATED CONTENT

Supporting Information

Optimization data for CoOx electrodeposition under different conditions and their effect on

photoactivity measured voltammetrically and chronoamperometrically, transients for the

electrodeposition of CoOx, SEM images (before and/or after stability test), EIS data,

chronoamperommetric data under various conditions, comparison of Faradaic efficiency and

amount of H2 and O2 gases evolved from water splitting in three- and two-electrode

configuration, and AB-SHE data. This material is available free of charge via the Internet at

http://pubs.acs.org.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Corresponding Authors

*E-mail for L.S.: [email protected]

*E-mail for R.A.: [email protected]

*E-mail for A.N.S.: [email protected]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors acknowledge the Australian Research Council for providing financial support for

this study through ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (Grant No.

CE140100012), the School of Chemistry (Monash University) for providing research facilities

and scholarships to carry out this work, the Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy (Monash

University) for providing microscopy facilities, and Dr. Massimo Raveggi (Monash University)

for assisting with the ICP-MS experiments.

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Highly dispersed cobalt oxide on TaON as efficient photoanodes … · G and valence and conduction...

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