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Bismuth vanadate photoanode has shown great potential for photoelectrochemical (PEC) catalysis, but it needs to be further modified because of its relatively low charge-separation efficiency and poor stability. Herein, the bimetallic phosphide NiCoP decorated Mo-BiVO 4 is fabricated through the electrodeposition and drop-casting method, which significantly improves the charge separation and surface oxidation reaction. Therefore, the fabricated NiCoP/Mo-BiVO 4 photoanode exhibits a low onset potential of 0.21 V ( vs. RHE) and high photocurrent of 3.21 mA cm -2 at 1.23 V ( vs. RHE), which is 3.12 times higher than that of pure BiVO 4 . Importantly, the decoration of NiCoP significantly improve the stability of BiVO 4 photoanode., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The utilization of solar energy in photoelectrochemical water splitting is a popular approach to store solar energy and minimize the dependence on fossil fuels. Herein, defected ZnWO 4 -decorated WO 3 nanorod arrays with type II heterojunction structures were synthesized via a two-step solvothermal method. By controlling the amount of Zn precursor, WO 3 nanorods were decorated in situ with tunable amounts of ZnWO 4 nanoparticles. Characterization confirmed the presence of abundant W 5+ species in the defected ZnWO 4 -decorated WO 3 samples, leading to enhanced light absorption and charge-separation efficiency. Therefore, the decorated WO 3 nanorod arrays show much higher photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity than pure WO 3 nanorod arrays. Specifically, the sample with optimal ZnWO 4 decoration and surface defects exhibits a current density of 1.87 mA cm -2 in water splitting at 1.23 V vs. RHE under 1 sun irradiation (almost 2.36 times higher than that of pure WO 3 ), a high incident photon-to-current efficiency of nearly 40% at 350 nm, and a relatively high photostability. However, the decoration of WO 3 with too much ZnWO 4 blocks the light absorption of WO 3 , inhibiting the PEC performance, even when many defects are present. This work provides a promising approach to rationally construct defected heterojunctions as highly active PEC anodes for practical applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)