Royal Society of Chemistry, Catalysis Science & Technology
DOI: 10.1039/c5cy01432h
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The synergistic effect of coupling a photooxidation catalyst, tantalum oxynitride, and a manganese oxide (MnOx) as electrooxidation catalyst in multi-component photoanodes for water oxidation is explored in near-netural solutions under visible light irradiation ([small lambda] > 400 nm). The anodes have been formed by using different electrochemical methods to deposit MnOx on screen-printed TaON films, pre-modified with TiO2 coatings (TiO2-TaON). By using SEM/EDX, ICP-MS analysis of the amount of Mn deposited and electrochemical techniques, we demonstrate that selective deposition of fine-structured nm-sized MnOx flakes on the photocatalytically active TiO2-TaON surface is achieved when the electrodeposition is carried out under visible light irradiation, but not in the dark. The MnOx/TiO2-TaON anodes produced using the photo-assisted method exhibit improved activity and better long-term stability during water photooxidation under visible light irradiation when compared to the TiO2-TaON films modified