Oxygen-vacancy-mediated enhanced electron-proton transfer in 2D/2D Ce,Er-BiVO4-based metal-organic framework heterostructures for efficient photocatalytic H2O2 production


Khan I., Sawwan H., Alsaikhan K., El Jery A., Iqbal K., Iqbal A., ...Daha Fazla

MATERIALS SCIENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING, cilt.209, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 209
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.mssp.2026.110618
  • Dergi Adı: MATERIALS SCIENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, INSPEC
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The limited efficiency of water oxidation is a significant challenge in the photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) without sacrificial agents. Among the different water oxidation reactions, the two-electron water oxidation reaction (2e- WOR) stands out as a promising route for direct H2O2 generation, owing to its favorable kinetics. However, strategies to effectively activate 2e- WOR remain underdeveloped. In this work, we employ a molecular engineering approach to achieve a high density of oxygen vacancy sites on the surface of BiVO4 (Ov-BiVO4). These vacancies promote favorable interactions with the oxygen-rich ligands of MIL-101 through electrostatic self-assembly, resulting in enhanced growth and reduced formation energy of the material. The optimized photocatalyst demonstrates a remarkable initial photocatalytic H2O2 production rate of 4550.4 mu mol g- 1 h- 1 in pure water, a 38-fold increase compared to the unmodified BiVO4. Additionally, the apparent quantum yield (AQY) reaches 12.35% at 420 nm. This enhanced performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of oxygen vacancies, the incorporation of rare earth bimetallic centers, and the Z-scheme heterojunction, all of which facilitate the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Notably, the unsaturated coordination sites of Ce and Er efficiently promote O2 adsorption and activate the 2e- oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) pathway, crucial for efficient H2O2 production. MIL-101 further improves the water oxidation reaction, optimizing the redox reaction matching within the system. This work introduces a straightforward molecular engineering method for dual-atom anchoring with tailored coordination environments, emphasizing the importance of redox dual-regulation for achieving efficient H2O2 synthesis.