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2026 Vol.36, Issue 7 Preview Page

Research Paper

Thickness-Dependent Photoelectrochemical Performance of BiVO4 Photoanodes Fabricated by Radio Frequnecy Sputtering

RF 스퍼터링 공정을 이용한 BiVO4 광양극 제작 및 두께에 따른 PEC 성능 상관관계

Suin Jeong1
,
Youseong Park1
,
Youngrog Kim1
,
Seong Ha Hwang1
,
Jin Hyeok Kim1†
정 수인1
,
박 유성1
,
김 영록1
,
황 성하1
,
김 진혁1†
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
1전남대학교 신소재공학과
†Corresponding author E-Mail : jinhyeok@jnu.ac.kr (J. H. Kim, Chonnam Nat’l Univ.)
27 July 2026. pp. 262-268
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Abstract

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has been widely investigated as a photoanode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting because it has a suitable bandgap and strong visible-light absorption. However, its performance is highly dependent on film thickness, as there is a trade-off between light absorption and charge transport. In this study, BiVO4 thin films with thicknesses of 200, 300, and 400 nm were deposited on FTO substrates via RF magnetron sputtering to systematically investigate the thickness-dependent PEC performance. X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of uniform and crystalline BiVO4 thin films. UV–vis spectroscopy revealed that light absorption increased with film thickness. PEC measurements showed that the 300 nm BiVO4 photoanode delivered the highest photocurrent density of 1.91 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE, along with a maximum HC-STH efficiency of 0.309 %. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated that the 300 nm film exhibited the lowest charge transfer resistance, suggesting reduced charge recombination. Furthermore, the optimized photoanode maintained stable photocurrent for over 5 hours. These results highlight that precise thickness control via RF magnetron sputtering is critical for optimizing the PEC performance of BiVO4 photoanodes.

Keywords
sputtering
photoelectrochemical
thin films
BiVO4
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Information
  • Publisher :Materials Research Society of Korea
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국재료학회
  • Journal Title :Korean Journal of Materials Research
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국재료학회지
  • Volume : 36
  • No :7
  • Pages :262-268
  • Received Date : 2026-05-20
  • Revised Date : 2026-07-08
  • Accepted Date : 2026-07-12
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.3740/MRSK.2026.36.7.262
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