Understanding the Z-scheme heterojunction of BiVO4/PANI for photoelectrochemical nitrogen reduction.

Based on the idea that a heterojunction can significantly promote photoelectrochemical (PEC) efficiency, BiVO4/PANI (polyaniline), as a Z-scheme heterojunction, was designed in this work. BiVO4/PANI achieved a desirable NH3 yield rate (rNH3 = 0.93 μg h-1 cm-2) and faradaic efficiency (FE = 26.43%). This study presents novel insight into PEC NRR research, and it could be extended to the modification of other catalysts for boosting PEC N2 reduction reaction performance.