A polarized liquid-liquid interface meets visible light-driven catalytic water oxidation.

Hyperbranched nanostructured bismuth vanadate at a chemically polarized water/organic interface is applied for efficient visible light-driven catalytic oxidation of water in the presence of [Co(bpy)3](PF6)3 as an organic soluble electron acceptor. The photocurrent response originating from the transfer of photo-excited electrons in BiVO4 to [Co(bpy)3]3+ is measured by scanning electrochemical microscopy.