Monolithic Photoelectrochemical Device for Direct Water Splitting with 19% Efficiency

Cheng, Wen‐Hui; Richter, Matthias H.; May, Matthias M.; Ohlmann, Jens; David, Laurent; Dimroth, Frank; Hannappel, Thomas; Atwater, Harry A.; Lewerenz, H. J.

doi:10.1021/acsenergylett.8b00920

Cited by 360 publications

(386 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…This field has primarily focused on optimizing the photovoltage and current needed to split water efficiently, and these efforts have borne fruit with multiple works showing greater than 10 % efficient devices ,. Recently, attention has turned towards stability with most publications reporting on devices which exhibit stability for at least 24 hours ,.…”

Section: Figuresupporting

confidence: 83%

Durability Testing of Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production under Day/Night Light Cycled Conditions

et al. 2018

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This work investigates long‐term photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution (82 days) in 1 M HClO4 using a TiO2:H protected crystalline Si‐based photocathode with metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (MOS) junctions. It is shown that day/night cycling leads to relatively rapid performance degradation while the photocurrent under the continuous light condition is relatively stable. We observed that the performance loss is mainly due to contamination of the catalytically active surface with carbonaceous material. By ultraviolet (UV) light exposure, we also observed that the activity can be restored, most likely due to photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds by the UV light excited TiO2 protection layer.

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Section: Figuresupporting

confidence: 83%

Durability Testing of Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production under Day/Night Light Cycled Conditions

et al. 2018

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“…The Department of Energy (DOE), United States, has set out an ultimate STH efficiency target of 25% for PEC water splitting based on photoelectrode systems with concentrated solar irradiation . The STH efficiency (η STH ) is defined as follows

η_{STH} = \frac{E_{0} (1.23 V) \times j_{op} (mA {cm}^{- 2}) \times f_{FE}}{P_{in}}

where E 0 = 1.23 V is the thermodynamic potential for water splitting under standard conditions, j op stands for the operating photocurrent density, f FE represents the Faradaic efficiency which is usually close to 100%, and P in is the power density of total incident solar irradiance. To achieve a high η STH , improving j op is crucial in which coupling efficient HER and OER electrocatalysts to semiconductor photoelectrodes play a significant role, as evidenced by many previous literature reports.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies for Semiconductor/Electrocatalyst Coupling toward Solar‐Driven Water Splitting

et al. 2020

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Hydrogen (H2) has a significant potential to enable the global energy transition from the current fossil‐dominant system to a clean, sustainable, and low‐carbon energy system. While presently global H2 production is predominated by fossil‐fuel feedstocks, for future widespread utilization it is of paramount importance to produce H2 in a decarbonized manner. To this end, photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been proposed to be a highly desirable approach with minimal negative impact on the environment. Both semiconductor light‐absorbers and hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER) catalysts are essential components of an efficient PEC cell. It is well documented that loading electrocatalysts on semiconductor photoelectrodes plays significant roles in accelerating the HER/OER kinetics, suppressing surface recombination, reducing overpotentials needed to accomplish HER/OER, and extending the operational lifetime of semiconductors. Herein, how electrocatalyst coupling influences the PEC performance of semiconductor photoelectrodes is outlined. The focus is then placed on the major strategies developed so far for semiconductor/electrocatalyst coupling, including a variety of dry processes and wet chemical approaches. This Review provides a comprehensive account of advanced methodologies adopted for semiconductor/electrocatalyst coupling and can serve as a guideline for the design of efficient and stable semiconductor photoelectrodes for use in water splitting.

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“…[23,24] The following year Seger et al reported a stabilized silicon-based photocathode with earthabundant MoS x hydrogen evolution catalyst using a thin Ti metal film as a protection layer. [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Emerging materials such as Sb 2 Se 3 , [34,35] Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS), [36][37][38] CuO, [39] CuInxGa (1-x) Se 2 (CIGS), [40] and CuBi 2 O 4 [41,42] have also been investigated with protective overlayers. [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Emerging materials such as Sb 2 Se 3 , [34,35] Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS), [36][37][38] CuO, [39] CuInxGa (1-x) Se 2 (CIGS), [40] and CuBi 2 O 4 [41,42] have also been investigated with protective overlayers.…”

Section: Photocathode Materials With Corrosion Protection Layersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances and Emerging Trends in Photo‐Electrochemical Solar Energy Conversion

Tilley

2018

Advanced Energy Materials

243

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Solar energy is a renewable and carbonfree energy source, and it is by far the most abundant, comprising greater than 99% of the total amount of all renewable energies available on Earth. [3] However, in order to displace fossil fuels, large-scale energy storage solutions will be required to address the intermittency of solar irradiation (and other renewable energies). Although new battery technologies will likely meet the need for cost-effective shorter time scale energy storage (1-3 days), fuels are the only effective option for longer term and seasonal storage. [4] The field of solar water splitting takes inspiration from Nature in photosynthesis by using light energy to extract electrons from water, and to store those electrons in high-energy chemical bonds (i.e., fuels). For the simple water splitting reaction, this generates hydrogen fuel and oxygen as a by-product. The energy of the solar light is stored in the hydrogen molecule, which can then participate directly in a hydrogen-based economy, [5] or be reacted with CO 2 in Fischer-Tropsch-type processes to generate carbonbased fuels, which are compatible with our current energy infrastructure. If the CO 2 used in the reaction with solar hydrogen is derived from CO 2 in the air, then the carbon-based fuels would be overall carbon neutral. However, using the CO 2 stream from a coal-fired power plant does not make sense as a strategy for carbon abatement, as it would be much more efficient from a life cycle perspective to use the solar energy directly and leave the coal unburned. [6,7] In any case, renewable hydrogen will play an important role in future energy systems and the chemical industry. In addition to being a carbon-free energy carrier (suitable for use in fuel cells, for example), renewable hydrogen will be needed to supply all of the current processes that rely on fossil fuelderived hydrogen, such as the large-scale synthesis of ammonia through the Haber-Bosch process, which is used as fertilizer for feeding the world population. The question then is, what is the most cost-effective method to generate solar hydrogen?Presently, the most effective solar energy conversion devices are based on photovoltaics (PV). For semiconductor-based water splitting to generate solar hydrogen, there are two conceptual options: a system that uses separated devices to harvest the light and to electrolyze water (PV-coupled electrolysis), and an integrated system that combines the light capture and catalytic water splitting interface in the same material (photoelectrochemistry) (Figure 1a). There are also varying degrees of Photo-electrochemical (PEC) solar energy conversion offers the promise of low-cost renewable fuel generation from abundant sunlight and water. In this Review, recent developments in photo-electrochemical water splitting are discussed with respect to this promise. State-of-the-art photo-electrochemical device performance is put in context with the current understanding of the necessary requirements for cost-effective solar hydrogen generation (in ter...

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Monolithic Photoelectrochemical Device for Direct Water Splitting with 19% Efficiency

Cited by 360 publications

References 26 publications

Durability Testing of Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production under Day/Night Light Cycled Conditions

Durability Testing of Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production under Day/Night Light Cycled Conditions

Strategies for Semiconductor/Electrocatalyst Coupling toward Solar‐Driven Water Splitting

Recent Advances and Emerging Trends in Photo‐Electrochemical Solar Energy Conversion

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