Nanostructured TaON/Ta3N5 as a highly efficient type-II heterojunction photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting.

Enhancing the charge separation by a semiconductor heterojunction is greatly promising and challenging for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Here, we report for the first time the design and fabrication of a TaON/Ta3N5 heterojunction photoanode, in which the electrode Ta3N5 is the primary light absorber and TaON acts as an electron conductor. By combining the merits of the substantial light harvesting of Ta3N5 with the excellent charge transport capability of TaON, the TaON/Ta3N5 heterojunction photoanode, without any co-catalysts, shows a 350 mV negative shift of photocurrent onset potential to 0.65 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) compared to that of the Ta3N5 photoanode. The design and fabrication scheme can be readily extended to other (oxy)nitride semiconductors for heterojunction construction.