Dynamic Semiconductor Interface for Scalable Photoelectrochemical Synthesis of Chlorine Disinfectants from Natural Seawater

Abstract Photoelectrochemical seawater electrolysis for the chloride oxidation reaction (ClOR) suffers from low selectivity against competing reactions and high onset potentials, which severely limits its efficiency for disinfectant production and marine‐based chemical synthesis. Herein, we engineer an amorphous CoWO x layer on BiVO 4 photoanodes that enables highly selective active chlorine (AC) production directly from natural seawater. The CoWO x /BiVO 4 photoanode delivers a remarkable photocurrent density of 4.78 mA cm −2 at 1.2 V RHE under AM 1.5G illumination, with a record‐low onset potential of 0.38 V RHE . Notably, it maintains > 95% Faradaic efficiency and selectivity for AC production across a…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 22405138, 22479083, 22269016
• NS
  National Science and Technology Major Project

  Award: 2022YFA1205200