LAUSR

Herein, an efficient CuO QDs/TiO2/WO3 photoanode and a Cu doped Co3S4/Ni3S2 cathode were successfully synthesized. The optimized CuO QDs/TiO2/WO3 photoanode achieved a photocurrent density of 1.93 mA cm−2 at 1.23 vs. RHE, which was 2.27 times that of a WO3 photoanode. The CuO QDs/TiO2/WO3-buried junction silicon (BJS) photoanode was coupled with the Cu doped Co3S4/Ni3S2 cathode to construct a novel photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) system. The as-established PFC system showed a high rifampicin (RFP) removal ratio of 93.4% after 90 min and maximum power output of 0.50 mW cm−2. Quenching tests and EPR spectra demonstrated that ˙OH, ˙O2− and 1O2 were the main reactive oxygen species in the system. This work provides a possibility to construct a more efficient PFC system for environmental protection and energy recovery in the future.