One-Step Self-Assembled\nWO<sub>3</sub>/rGO Microspheres\nPhotoanode Assembled Efficient Photocatalytic Fuel Cells for Simultaneous\nOrganic Pollutant Degradation and Electricity Generation

Photocatalytic fuel cells (PFCs) present a promising\nand environmentally\nfriendly approach to simultaneously treat organic pollutants in wastewater\nand electricity generation. The development of photoanodes with high\nlight absorption and carrier mobility is essential for enhancing the\nperformance of PFCs but remains challenging. Herein, a one-step self-assembly\nstrategy was adopted to develop flower-like WO<sub>3</sub>/rGO microspheres\nfor PFC devices. Attributed to the abundant surface-active sites,\nenhanced light harvesting, and efficient separation of photogenerated\ncharge carriers, the WO<sub>3</sub>/rGO photoanode demonstrated superior\nrhodamine B (RhB) degradation rate (90% in 2 h), maximum power density\n(4.74 μW/cm<sup>2</sup>), and maximum photocurrent density (0.096\nmA/cm<sup>2</sup>), 1.4, 2.4, and 4.0 times higher than the corresponding\npure WO<sub>3</sub> photoanode, respectively. Density functional theory\n(DFT) calculations reveal that the built-in electric field formed\nbetween the interface of WO<sub>3</sub> and rGO promotes the transfer\nof photogenerated electrons from WO<sub>3</sub> to rGO, thus exerting\na significant impact on improving the migration and separation of\nphotoinduced charge carriers. Moreover, by combining experimental\nand theoretical results, a complete PFC operation mechanism for the\nPFC system was proposed. This study focuses on the strategy of constructing\nrGO-doped photocatalysts to enhance the interfacial charge transfer\nmechanism, providing a promising approach for the development of high-performance\nphotoanodes in PFC systems.