Wireless Solar Water Splitting Using Silicon-Based Semiconductors and Earth-Abundant Catalysts

Reece, Steven Y.; Hamel, Jonathan; Sung, Kimberly; Jarvi, T. D.; Esswein, Arthur J.; Pijpers, Joep J. H.; Nocera, Daniel G.

doi:10.1126/science.1209816

Cited by 1,565 publications

(1,380 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Fig. 2), the solar-to-hydrogen conversion [49] was measured to be 2.4 %. The photoelectrochemical water-splitting process was also observed visually on the electrode-water interface in presence of simulated sunlight (with a small amount of applied voltage) as shown in snapshot in Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Photo-active and dynamical properties of hematite (Fe2O3)–water interfaces: an experimental and theoretical study

English

Rahman

Wadnerkar

et al. 2014

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.

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The dynamical properties of physically and chemically adsorbed water molecules at pristine hematite-(001) surfaces have been studied by means of equilibrium Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) in the NVT ensemble at 298 K. The dissociation of water molecules to form chemically adsorbed species was scrutinised, in addition to 'hopping' or swapping events of protons between water molecules. Particular foci have been dynamical properties of the adsorbed water molecules and OH -and H 3 O + ions, the hydrogen bonds between protons in water molecules and the bridging oxygen atoms at the hematite surface, as well as the interactions between oxygen atoms in adsorbed water molecules and iron atoms at the hematite surface. Experimental results for photoelectrical current generation complement simulation findings of water dissociation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Photo-active and dynamical properties of hematite (Fe2O3)–water interfaces: an experimental and theoretical study

English

Rahman

Wadnerkar

et al. 2014

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.

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“…The most notable work on “artificial leaf” involved the use of a triple junction and amorphous silicon photovoltaic interfaced to hydrogen‐ and oxygen‐evolving catalyst for yielding 4.7% efficiency 193. Jacobsson et al reported a monolithic device for solar water splitting based on series interconnected CuIn x Ga 1–x Se 2 reaching over 10% solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency 194.…”

Section: Photovoltaic‐integrated Photoelectrochemical Water Splittingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Progress in Energy‐Driven Water Splitting

et al. 2017

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Hydrogen is readily obtained from renewable and non‐renewable resources via water splitting by using thermal, electrical, photonic and biochemical energy. The major hydrogen production is generated from thermal energy through steam reforming/gasification of fossil fuel. As the commonly used non‐renewable resources will be depleted in the long run, there is great demand to utilize renewable energy resources for hydrogen production. Most of the renewable resources may be used to produce electricity for driving water splitting while challenges remain to improve cost‐effectiveness. As the most abundant energy resource, the direct conversion of solar energy to hydrogen is considered the most sustainable energy production method without causing pollutions to the environment. In overall, this review briefly summarizes thermolytic, electrolytic, photolytic and biolytic water splitting. It highlights photonic and electrical driven water splitting together with photovoltaic‐integrated solar‐driven water electrolysis.

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“…9−11 The "wireless" or "monolithic" layout ( Figure 1B) simplifies cell design by eliminating electrical contacts and wires through integration of all components in a monolithic flat assembly. 10 These two designs differ in the way ionic transport is organized. 19 The overall transport distance between electrodes dictates the ohmic losses of the ions in the electrolyte and can contribute significantly to the overall operating voltage.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minimization of Ionic Transport Resistance in Porous Monoliths for Application in Integrated Solar Water Splitting Devices

et al. 2016

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Monolithic solar water splitting devices consist of photovoltaic materials integrated with electrocatalysts and produce solar hydrogen by water splitting upon solar illumination in one device. Upscaling of monolithic solar water splitting devices is obstructed by high ohmic losses in the electrolyte due to long ionic transport distances. A new design overcomes the problem by introducing micron sized pores in a silicon wafer substrate coated with electrocatalysts. A porous solar hydrogen device was simulated by applying a current corresponding to ca. 10% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. Porous monoliths of 550 μm thickness with varying pore size and spacing were fabricated by laser ablation and electrochemically characterized. Ohmic losses well below 100 mV were reached at 14.4% porosity with 77 μm pores spaced 250 μm apart in 0.25 M KOH electrolyte. In 1 M KOH, 100 mV was reached at 6% porosity with 1 mm pore spacing. Our results suggest ohmic losses below 50 mV can be achieved when using 10 μm thick substrates at 0.2% porosity. These findings make it possible for monolithic solar water splitting devices to be scaled without loss of efficiency. ■ INTRODUCTIONHydrogen is one of the promising energy vectors that will likely be part of the future sustainable energy portfolio. 1 Using sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen is a viable option for solar hydrogen production and several technologies exist that achieve water splitting at high efficiency. 2 A direct way to produce solar hydrogen is by using a solar water splitting device which combines light absorption, charge separation and electrochemical reactions in an integrated device. 3 High solarto-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies are reached using high-end photovoltaics (PV) coupled to electrocatalysts submerged in concentrated aqueous electrolyte. 4−7 The use of robust earthabundant catalysts and stable light absorbing materials with suitable band gaps has also been demonstrated. 8−11 These approaches show great promise at lab scale and development of practical systems is ongoing. 12−16 Beside the performance of catalysts and light absorbers, cell design is important and ohmic losses need to be minimized to maximize overall efficiency. 17,18 There are two common design types. 19,20 In the "wired" design ( Figure 1A) planar anode and cathode have opposed surfaces at close proximity such that the interelectrode distance to be covered by ions in the liquid electrolyte is minimized. 9−11 The "wireless" or "monolithic" layout ( Figure 1B) simplifies cell design by eliminating electrical contacts and wires through integration of all components in a monolithic flat assembly. 10

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Wireless Solar Water Splitting Using Silicon-Based Semiconductors and Earth-Abundant Catalysts

Cited by 1,565 publications

References 39 publications

Photo-active and dynamical properties of hematite (Fe2O3)–water interfaces: an experimental and theoretical study

Photo-active and dynamical properties of hematite (Fe2O3)–water interfaces: an experimental and theoretical study

Recent Progress in Energy‐Driven Water Splitting

Minimization of Ionic Transport Resistance in Porous Monoliths for Application in Integrated Solar Water Splitting Devices

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