隨著全球暖化與環境問題日益加劇，傳統化石燃料的枯竭及汙染成為人類將面臨的一大挑戰，尋求替代的潔淨能源已成為重要議題。近年來，氫能被認為是未來能源市場的重要角色，其中，透過太陽能進行水分解產氫的技術極具發展潛力，水解產氫對環境影響非常小且氫氣作為能源時僅產生水，無溫室氣體排放，具有極佳的環保效益及經濟前景。因此，為了滿足綠色經濟與環保，本研究將開發高效率的光催化材料，進一步透過光電化學作用分解水分子，製備潔淨且可持續的氫能，以達到能源永續發展的目標。
本研究著重於三斜晶系釩鐵氧(FeVO4)的合成與特性分析，探討不同形貌的釩鐵氧並透過貴金屬奈米粒子，以提升光電化學(PEC)水分解的效率。由於釩鐵氧具備窄能隙及可回收再利用的特性，使其成為極具潛力的材料。我們透過水熱法調整前驅物的濃度製備具有不同形貌的釩鐵氧，結果顯示，釩鐵氧的形貌明顯影響其能隙大小，其中棒狀釩鐵氧相較於球狀釩鐵氧展現更窄的能隙。此外，我們透過自組裝法及紫外光還原法將貴金屬奈米粒子附著於釩鐵氧薄膜上，與純釩鐵氧光陽極相比，金奈米粒子附著在釩鐵氧上(FeVO₄@Au NPs)的光陽極表現出更穩定且高效的PEC水分解性能，其光電流密度提升約1.9倍。此現象可歸因於金奈米粒子吸收光後，金奈米粒子中的電子作為光捕捉中心，吸收光能以激發表面電漿子共振。電漿共振衰減後產生電子-電洞對。這些電子能克服貴金屬奈米粒子與釩鐵氧界面間的蕭特基能障，並注入釩鐵氧中。從而大幅提升釩鐵氧的光電化學性能。本研究不僅推動高效光電化學材料的設計與最佳化，更提出了一種材料合成的新策略，對永續能源技術的發展具有重要貢獻。

The rapid depletion of fossil fuels and their environmental impacts pose a major global challenge amid growing climate change concerns. As a response, the development of alternative, clean energy sources has gained urgency. Among renewable options, hydrogen has emerged as a promising and sustainable energy carrier, particularly via solar-driven water splitting. This process offers clear environmental benefits, producing only water upon combustion without greenhouse gas emissions, and holds strong potential for both ecological and economic value. Aligned with the global demand for green energy, this study aims to develop high-performance photocatalytic materials for hydrogen generation through photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting.
This research focuses on synthesizing and characterizing triclinic iron vanadate (FeVO4) with controlled morphologies and integrating noble metal nanoparticles (NMNPs) to enhance PEC activity. FeVO4 is a promising semiconductor due to its narrow bandgap and recyclability. Using a hydrothermal method, FeVO4 was synthesized under varying precursor concentrations to yield different morphologies. Results indicate that morphology strongly affects optical properties, with rod-shaped FeVO4 exhibiting a narrower bandgap than its spherical counterpart. Furthermore, NMNPs were deposited onto FeVO4 thin films via self-assembly and UV-light reduction. Compared to pristine FeVO4, Au-decorated photoanodes (FeVO4@Au NPs) showed significantly enhanced stability and PEC performance, with a ~1.9-fold increase in photocurrent density.
This improvement is mainly due to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excitation in Au nanoparticles under . The decay of plasmonic energy generates hot electrons that overcome the Schottky barrier and inject into FeVO4 conduction band, facilitating charge separation and transfer. Overall, this work contributes to the design of efficient photoelectrochemical materials and presents a viable strategy for advancing sustainable hydrogen production technologies.

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