Investigation of the Solar Hydrogen Sensitivity of GeSe Thin Film Photoelectrode with Photoelectrochemical Environment

Abstract

GeSe photovoltaic thin films are very promising for photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen evolution. The GeSe-based PEC water splitting device is a system containing a photoelectrode, electrolyte, and other packages, and the performance of the GeSe photoelectrode inside the system is very sensitive to the PEC system environment, such as the electrolyte temperature, pH, and concentration. Here, we reveal how the electrolyte environment at the electrolyte/photoelectrode interface influences the optoelectronic/PEC properties of GeSe photoelectrodes. It was found that the photocurrent density of the GeSe photoelectrode increased with temperature between 10 and 50 °C but decreased when the temperature was over 50 °C. In addition, the pH values of the electrolyte were inversely proportional to the photocurrent density of the GeSe photoelectrode. Moreover, the PEC performance improved as the sodium ion concentration of the electrolyte increased. The results in this work should provide a new direction for further optimizing the performance of photoelectrodes.

Numerical simulation of a novel high performance solid‐state dye‐sensitised solar cell based on N719 dye

“…This aspect reflects ion diffusion within the electrolyte, offering insights into mass transport limitations within the cell. Furthermore, variations in operating conditions such as illumination intensity, temperature, electrolyte composition, and applied bias voltage can alter the Nyquist plot's shape [124]. These changes impact charge transfer kinetics, recombination rates, and mass transport processes, leading to observable alterations in plot characteristics.…”