Spatially Programmable S‐Scheme Heterojunction Photoanodes via Aerosol‐Jet Printing for Efficient Solar Water Oxidation

ABSTRACT S‐scheme heterojunctions enable efficient charge separation while preserving the strong redox ability of photogenerated carriers, offering a powerful platform for advanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. However, translating such rationally designed heterostructures into scalable, high‐performance photoanodes remains a critical bottleneck for conventional fabrication methods. Here, we develop an aerosol‐jet printing (AJP) approach to fabricate S‐scheme SrTiO 3 /g‐C 3 N 4 heterojunction photoanodes with well‐controlled stacking sequences. The interfacial built‑in electric field drives recombination of SrTiO 3 photogenerated electrons with g‑C 3 N 4 holes, preserving the strongly oxidizing holes in SrTiO 3 for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The SrTiO 3 ‐on‐C 3 N 4 configuration delivers enhanced PEC water oxidation activity, with a photocurrent density of 2.3 mA cm − 2 , double that of single‐component and reversed‐structure photoanodes. It is found that this enhancement stems from stacking‐order‐dependent synergy between the heterojunction built‐in electric field and semiconductor‐electrolyte band bending. Notably, AJP enables fabrication of large‐area, module‐sized photoanodes, demonstrating practical scalability for device manufacturing. This work provides a controllable, scalable route for the rational design of high‐performance S‐scheme heterojunction photoelectrodes for PEC water splitting.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2026-10-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.76307
Primary Topic
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Spatially Programmable S‐Scheme Heterojunction Photoanodes via Aerosol‐Jet Printing for Efficient Solar Water Oxidation

Dawei Su, Xizhong An, Xiaoli Ran, Xiaohong Yang et al.
Small
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
article

Spatially Programmable S‐Scheme Heterojunction Photoanodes via Aerosol‐Jet Printing for Efficient Solar Water Oxidation

Dawei Su, Xizhong An, Xiaoli Ran, Xiaohong Yang, Yanlong Gong, Wenzheng Yang, Feihong Ke, Haitao Fu
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT S‐scheme heterojunctions enable efficient charge separation while preserving the strong redox ability of photogenerated carriers, offering a powerful platform for advanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. However, translating such rationally designed heterostructures into scalable, high‐performance photoanodes remains a critical bottleneck for conventional fabrication methods. Here, we develop an aerosol‐jet printing (AJP) approach to fabricate S‐scheme SrTiO 3 /g‐C 3 N 4 heterojunction photoanodes with well‐controlled stacking sequences. The interfacial built‑in electric field drives recombination of SrTiO 3 photogenerated electrons with g‑C 3 N 4 holes, preserving the strongly oxidizing holes in SrTiO 3 for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The SrTiO 3 ‐on‐C 3 N 4 configuration delivers enhanced PEC water oxidation activity, with a photocurrent density of 2.3 mA cm − 2 , double that of single‐component and reversed‐structure photoanodes. It is found that this enhancement stems from stacking‐order‐dependent synergy between the heterojunction built‐in electric field and semiconductor‐electrolyte band bending. Notably, AJP enables fabrication of large‐area, module‐sized photoanodes, demonstrating practical scalability for device manufacturing. This work provides a controllable, scalable route for the rational design of high‐performance S‐scheme heterojunction photoelectrodes for PEC water splitting.

Small
RMIT University (AU), Northeastern University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 35%
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.