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• BiFeO 3 /Bi 2 O 3 composite was successfully fabricated by a facile flame annealing. • The formation of Bi 2 O 3 improves the PEC performance. • The maximum photocurrent of BiFeO 3 /Bi 2 O 3 is two times larger than BiFeO 3. • High PEC performance was attributed to improved light absorption and active sites. BiFeO 3 -based ferroelectrics are promising photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. To further enhance its photoelectrocatalytic activity, BiFeO 3 /Bi 2 O 3 composite is designed by a simple and cost-effective flame annealing process in this work. The obtained BiFeO 3 /Bi 2 O 3 photocathode achieves a photocurrent density of −0.21 mA/cm−2 at 0.38 V RHE , with a 160 mV positive shift of the onset potential. Furthermore, the photon-to-current efficiency of BiFeO 3 /Bi 2 O 3 displays an obvious enhancement. The improved PEC performance is due to the formation of composite, which reduces the recombination of carriers, promotes interfacial charge transfer and provides more active sites. Our work provides a promising approach to improve the performance of ferroelectric photoelectrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• C-CuO-Cu 2 O/CF hybrid was synthesized by a facile candle flame annealing. • The composition was confirmed by XRD, Raman and TEM techniques. • The C-CuO-Cu 2 O/CF electrode showed excellent photoelectrochemical activity. • High photoelectrochemical performance was due to carbon coating and hybrid composition. In this work, carbon coated-CuO-Cu 2 O composite on copper foam (C-CuO-Cu 2 O/CF) is synthesized by candle flame treatment and is evaluated as a photocathode of photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC). The photocurrent density of C-CuO-Cu 2 O/CF electrode can reach −1.2 mA cm−2 (at 0 V vs. RHE), which is about 12 times higher than that of Cu 2 O/CF. The high PEC performance is due to the carbon modification and the unique composition which increase the carrier concentration and reduce the carrier recombination rate and promote charge transfer at electrode-electrolyte interface. Our results proves that candle flame annealing is a promising way for the rational design of carbon modified photoelectrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]