Cu₅FeS₄ quantum dots as a single-component photo-assisted electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Photo-assisted electrocatalytic (P-EC) hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted extensive attention by directly integrating the photo- and electro-active materials, exhibiting dramatically improved activity and kinetics upon light irradiation. In this...

Photogenerated Carrier-Assisted Electrocatalysts for Efficient Water Splitting

“…When exposed to light, the photoactive components in the electrocatalyst excite the carriers, which subsequently migrate to participate in the decomposition of water. Photogenerated electrons can effectively diffuse from the conduction band to the electrocatalyst under the action of an external electric field and directly participate in reduction reactions, while reducing the energy barrier required for HER and compensating for power consumption [46,51]. The photogenerated holes in the valence band with strong oxidizability can directly react with the OHadsorbed on the electrode surface to generate OH*.…”

“…tively diffuse from the conduction band to the electrocatalyst under the action of an external electric field and directly participate in reduction reactions, while reducing the energy barrier required for HER and compensating for power consumption [46,51]. The photogenerated holes in the valence band with strong oxidizability can directly react with the OHadsorbed on the electrode surface to generate OH*.…”

“…Single-component photoelectric integrated catalysts can naturally couple the electrocatalytic activity with the photoexcitation ability without introducing a photoactive component or an electrocatalytic promoter [60]. At the same time, they also have a strong photoelectric interaction and an efficient charge carrier transfer process, which are very attractive in the photoelectric coupling field [46]. Hao et al prepared a photo-responsive Ni 3 (VO 4 ) 2 electrocatalyst with a sea-urchin-like shape (Figure 2a,d).…”

“…The transient photovoltage (TPV) test indicated the effective extraction of charge in Cu 5 FeS 4 QDs, which is conducive to the accumulation of surface charge. Combined with DFT theoretical calculations, it was proven that photogenerated electrons can reduce the H* adsorption free energy and optimize the electronic structure of the original electrocatalyst (Figure 3b) [46]. Hao et al used CdSe QDs as sensitizers and successfully designed and prepared a CdSe QDs/WS 2 composite material for HER in a neutral electrolyte solution.…”

“…Photogenerated carriers produced by photo-responsive electrocatalysts absorbing light energy can directly participate in the redox reaction and reduce the potential reaction barrier. The whole process is simple and efficient and can be realized by embedding the photoactive components [45,46]. However, there are few studies on photogenerated carrier-assisted electrocatalysis at present, and the specific enhancement steps are still unclear [47].…”