A Si photocathode protected and activated with a Ti and Ni composite film for solar hydrogen production

An efficient, stable and scalable hybrid photoelectrode for visible-light-driven H2 generation in an aqueous pH 9.2 electrolyte solution is reported. The photocathode consists of a p-type Si substrate layered with a Ti and Ni-containing composite film, which acts as both a protection and electrocatalyst layer on the Si substrate. The film is prepared by the simple drop casting of the molecular single-source precursor, [{Ti2(OEt)9(NiCl)}2] (TiNipre), onto the p-Si surface at room temperature, followed by cathodic in situ activation to form the catalytically active TiNi film (TiNicat). The p-Si|TiNicat photocathode exhibits prolonged hydrogen generation with a stable photocurrent of approximately -5 mA cm(-2) at 0 V vs. RHE in an aqueous pH 9.2 borate solution for several hours, and serves as a benchmark non-noble photocathode for solar H2 evolution that operates efficiently under neutral-alkaline conditions.

Use of Mixed CH3-/HC(O)CH2CH2-Si(111) Functionality to Control Interfacial Chemical and Electronic Properties During the Atomic-Layer Deposition of Ultrathin Oxides on Si(111)

Silicon surfaces terminated with a mixed monolayer containing both a propyl aldehyde functionality and methyl groups were prepared and used to control the interfacial chemical and electronic properties of Si(111) surfaces during atomic-layer deposition (ALD) of Al2O3 or MnO. Si(111) surfaces functionalized only with the aldehyde moiety exhibited surface recombination velocities, S, of 2500 ± 600 cm s(-1) whereas the mixed CH3-/HC(O)CH2CH2-Si(111) surfaces displayed S = 25 ± 7 cm s(-1). During the ALD growth of either Al2O3 or MnO, both the HC(O)CH2CH2-Si(111) and CH3-/HC(O)CH2CH2-Si(111) surfaces produced increased metal oxide deposition at low cycle number, relative to H-Si(111) or CH3-Si(111) surfaces. As detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy after the ALD process, the CH3- and mixed CH3-/HC(O)CH2CH2- functionalized Si(111) surfaces exhibited less interfacial SiOx than was observed for ALD of metal oxides on H-Si(111) substrates.

Stable Solar-Driven Water Oxidation to O2(g) by Ni-Oxide-Coated Silicon Photoanodes

Semiconductors with small band gaps (<2 eV) must be stabilized against corrosion or passivation in aqueous electrolytes before such materials can be used as photoelectrodes to directly produce fuels from sunlight. In addition, incorporation of electrocatalysts on the surface of photoelectrodes is required for efficient oxidation of H2O to O2(g) and reduction of H2O or H2O and CO2 to fuels. We report herein the stabilization of np(+)-Si(100) and n-Si(111) photoanodes for over 1200 h of continuous light-driven evolution of O2(g) in 1.0 M KOH(aq) by an earth-abundant, optically transparent, electrocatalytic, stable, conducting nickel oxide layer. Under simulated solar illumination and with optimized index-matching for proper antireflection, NiOx-coated np(+)-Si(100) photoanodes produced photocurrent-onset potentials of -180 ± 20 mV referenced to the equilibrium potential for evolution of O2(g), photocurrent densities of 29 ± 1.8 mA cm(-2) at the equilibrium potential for evolution of O2(g), and a solar-to-O2(g) conversion figure-of-merit of 2.1%.

Photoelectrochemical water splitting promoted with a disordered surface layer created by electrochemical reduction

The recent discovery of colored TiO2 indicated that the disordered surface layer over the TiO2 particles/photoelectrodes is beneficial for higher photocatalytic performance; however, the role of the disordered surface TiO2 layer is not well understood. Here, we report an electrochemical strategy for tuning the surface structure of TiO2 nanorod arrays (NRAs) and try to understand the role of the disordered surface TiO2 layer. Photoelectrodes of TiO2 NRAs with a disordered shell were prepared by an electrochemical reduction method. The photocurrent of the NRAs with a disordered shell can reach as high as ∼1.18 mA/cm(2) at 1.23 V, which is 2.2 times of that of the pristine TiO2 NRAs. Our results show that the surface disordered layer not only improves the bulk charge separation but also suppresses the charge recombination at the electrode/electrolyte interface, acting as an efficient water oxidation cocatalyst of photoelectrochemical cell for solar water splitting.

Applications of atomic layer deposition in solar cells

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides a unique tool for the growth of thin films with excellent conformity and thickness control down to atomic levels. The application of ALD in energy research has received increasing attention in recent years. In this review, the versatility of ALD in solar cells will be discussed. This is specifically focused on the fabrication of nanostructured photoelectrodes, surface passivation, surface sensitization, and band-structure engineering of solar cell materials. Challenges and future directions of ALD in the applications of solar cells are also discussed.

Quantifying bulk and surface recombination processes in nanostructured water splitting photocatalysts via in situ ultrafast spectroscopy

A quantitative description of recombination processes in nanostructured semiconductor photocatalysts-one that distinguishes between bulk (charge transport) and surface (chemical reaction) losses-is critical for advancing solar-to-fuel technologies. Here we present an in situ experimental framework that determines the bias-dependent quantum yield for ultrafast carrier transport to the reactive interface. This is achieved by simultaneously measuring the electrical characteristics and the subpicosecond charge dynamics of a heterostructured photoanode in a working photoelectrochemical cell. Together with direct measurements of the overall incident-photon-to-current efficiency, we illustrate how subtle structural modifications that are not perceivable by conventional X-ray diffraction can drastically affect the overall photocatalytic quantum yield. We reveal how charge carrier recombination losses occurring on ultrafast time scales can limit the overall efficiency even in nanostructures with dimensions smaller than the minority carrier diffusion length. This is particularly true for materials with high carrier concentration, where losses as high as 37% are observed. Our methodology provides a means of evaluating the efficacy of multifunctional designs where high overall efficiency is achieved by maximizing surface transport yield to near unity and utilizing surface layers with enhanced activity.

Introductory lecture: systems materials engineering approach for solar-to-chemical conversion

Solar-to-chemical (STC) production using a fully integrated system is an attractive goal, but to-date there has yet to be a system that can demonstrate the required efficiency or durability, or could be manufactured at a reasonable cost. One can learn a great deal from the natural photosynthesis where the conversion of carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates is routinely carried out at a highly coordinated system level. There are several key features worth mentioning in these systems: spatial and directional arrangement of the light-harvesting components; charge separation and transport; as well as the desired chemical conversion at catalytic sites in compartmentalized spaces. In order to design an efficient artificial photosynthetic materials system, at the level of the individual components better catalysts need to be developed, new light-absorbing semiconductor materials will need to be discovered, architectures will need to be designed for effective capture and conversion of sunlight, and more importantly, processes need to be developed for the efficient coupling and integration of the components into a complete artificial photosynthetic system.

An Integrated Device View on Photo-Electrochemical Solar-Hydrogen Generation

Devices that directly capture and store solar energy have the potential to significantly increase the share of energy from intermittent renewable sources. Photo-electrochemical solar-hydrogen generators could become an important contributor, as these devices can convert solar energy into fuels that can be used throughout all sectors of energy. Rather than focusing on scientific achievement on the component level, this article reviews aspects of overall component integration in photo-electrochemical water-splitting devices that ultimately can lead to deployable devices. Throughout the article, three generalized categories of devices are considered with different levels of integration and spanning the range of complete integration by one-material photo-electrochemical approaches to complete decoupling by photovoltaics and electrolyzer devices. By using this generalized framework, we describe the physical aspects, device requirements, and practical implications involved with developing practical photo-electrochemical water-splitting devices. Aspects reviewed include macroscopic coupled multiphysics device models, physical device demonstrations, and economic and life cycle assessments, providing the grounds to draw conclusions on the overall technological outlook.

Microcontact-printing-assisted access of graphitic carbon nitride films with favorable textures toward photoelectrochemical application

An "ink" (cyanamide) infiltrated anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) stamp is found capable of printing carbon nitride films featuring regular microstructures of the stamp onto the substrates via in situ "chemical vapor deposition". A photocurrent density of 30.2 μA cm(-2 --) at 1.23 VRHE is achieved for a film on a conductive substrate, which is so far the highest value for pure carbon nitride based photoelectrochemical devices.

Distinct and dramatic water dissociation on GaP(111) tracked by near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Chemical evolution bridging UHV and near-realistic conditions at the H₂O/GaP interface.

Cu2O/CuO photocathode with improved stability for photoelectrochemical water reduction

Cu₂O/CuO composite photocathodes prepared by fast annealing copper foils via H₂–O₂ flame showed improved stability for photoelectrochemical water reduction.

Electronic structures and current conductivities of B, C, N and F defects in amorphous titanium dioxide

Energetics and charge conductivities of defect states in amorphous titanium dioxide induced by second-row elements (B, C, N and F doping) were investigated by DFT calculations and Marcus theory.

Oxygen vacancy and hole conduction in amorphous TiO2

The amorphous titanium dioxide (a-TiO₂) has drawn attention recently due to the finding that it holds promise for coating conventional photoelectrodes for corrosion protection while still allowing the holes to transport to the surface.

Eco-friendly and facilely prepared silica modified amorphous titania (TiO2–SiO2) electrocatalyst for the O2 and H2 evolution reactions

A silica modified amorphous titania (TiO₂–SiO₂) electrocatalyst was prepared by a simple, cheap, and scalable preparation procedure. The catalyst is active in the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions, leading to a promising bifunctional electrocatalyst.

N-Doped nanodots/np+-Si photocathodes for efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation

N₂-plasma treated carbon nanodots are demonstrated to be an effective catalyst for solar-driven H₂ production on np⁺-Si photocathodes.

Solvation effects on the band edge positions of photocatalysts from first principles

Continuum solvation theories predict large shifts in band positions of photocatalysts from vacuum to solution, in agreement with experiment.

Enhancing photoresponsivity of self-powered UV photodetectors based on electrochemically reduced TiO2 nanorods

Enhanced photoresponsivity of the R-NRA device is due to the enhancement of charge separation and transfer at the electrode/electrolyte interface.

Electrochemical properties of layered SnO and PbO for energy applications

In this paper we synthetized four different lead oxides with tetragonal or orthorhombic symmetry either by thermal decomposition or a chemical route.

The function-led design of Z-scheme photocatalytic systems based on hollow carbon nitride semiconductors

Hollow conjugated polymer nanospheres mimicking thylakoids act as a host scaffold that coassemble with CdS and Au as an electron mediator to construct an artificial Z-scheme photosynthesis system, which shows a highly efficient performance in photocatalytic water-splitting and CO₂reduction reaction under the irradiation of visible light.

Surface modification of semiconductor photoelectrodes

An overview of surface engineering approaches to enhance the photoelectrochemical performance of commmon semiconductor photoelectrodes for solar energy conversion.

Applications of ALD MnO to electrochemical water splitting

The effect of OER potentials on the oxidation and morphology of ALD-MnO electrocatalysts is investigated with an emphasis on applications.

Transparent ALD-grown Ta2O5 protective layer for highly stable ZnO photoelectrode in solar water splitting

This communication describes the design of a highly stable ZnO/Ta₂O₅ photoanode with ultrathin Ta₂O₅ protective layers deposited by atomic layer deposition. The transparency of Ta₂O₅ to sunlight accounts for the excellent stability of the photoelectrode in a strong base environment.

Solution-deposited F:SnO₂/TiO₂ as a base-stable protective layer and antireflective coating for microtextured buried-junction H₂-evolving Si photocathodes

Protecting Si photocathodes from corrosion is important for developing tandem water-splitting devices operating in basic media. We show that textured commercial Si-pn(+) photovoltaics protected by solution-processed semiconducting/conducting oxides (plausibly suitable for scalable manufacturing) and coupled to thin layers of Ir yield high-performance H2-evolving photocathodes in base. They also serve as excellent test structures to understand corrosion mechanisms and optimize interfacial electrical contacts between various functional layers. Solution-deposited TiO2 protects Si-pn(+) junctions from corrosion for ∼24 h in base, whereas junctions protected by F:SnO2 fail after only 1 h of electrochemical cycling. Interface layers consisting of Ti metal and/or the highly doped F:SnO2 between the Si and TiO2 reduce Si-emitter/oxide/catalyst contact resistance and thus increase fill factor and efficiency. Controlling the oxide thickness led to record photocurrents near 35 mA cm(-2) at 0 V vs RHE and photocathode efficiencies up to 10.9% in the best cells. Degradation, however, was not completely suppressed. We demonstrate that performance degrades by two mechanisms, (1) deposition of impurities onto the thin catalyst layers, even from high-purity base, and (2) catastrophic failure via pinholes in the oxide layers after several days of operation. These results provide insight into the design of hydrogen-evolving photoelectrodes in basic conditions, and highlight challenges.

Photocatalytic hydrogen production using polymeric carbon nitride with a hydrogenase and a bioinspired synthetic Ni catalyst

Solar-light-driven H2 production in water with a [NiFeSe]-hydrogenase (H2ase) and a bioinspired synthetic nickel catalyst (NiP) in combination with a heptazine carbon nitride polymer, melon (CN(x)), is reported. The semibiological and purely synthetic systems show catalytic activity during solar light irradiation with turnover numbers (TONs) of more than 50,000 mol H2(mol H2ase)(-1) and approximately 155 mol H2 (mol NiP)(-1) in redox-mediator-free aqueous solution at pH 6 and 4.5, respectively. Both systems maintained a reduced photoactivity under UV-free solar light irradiation (λ>420 nm).

Iron-Treated NiO as a Highly Transparent p-Type Protection Layer for Efficient Si-Based Photoanodes

Sputter deposition of 50 nm thick NiO films on p(+)-n-Si and subsequent treatment in an Fe-containing electrolyte yielded highly transparent photoanodes capable of water oxidation (OER) in alkaline media (1 M KOH) with high efficiency and stability. The Fe treatment of NiO thin films enabled Si-based photoanode assemblies to obtain a current density of 10 mA/cm(2) (requirement for >10% efficient devices) at 1.15 V versus RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode) under red-light (38.6 mW/cm(2)) irradiation. Thus, the photoanodes were harvesting ∼80 mV of free energy (voltage), which places them among the best-performing Si-based photoanodes in alkaline media. The stability was proven by chronoamperometry at 1.3 V versus RHE for 300 h. Furthermore, measurements with electrochemical quartz crystal microbalances coupled with ICP-MS showed minor corrosion under dark operation. Extrapolation of the corrosion rate showed stability for more than 2000 days of continuous operation. Therefore, protection by Fe-treated NiO films is a promising strategy to achieve highly efficient and stable photoanodes.

Nanoscale limitations in metal oxide electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution

Metal oxides are attractive candidates for low cost, earth-abundant electrocatalysts. However, owing to their insulating nature, their widespread application has been limited. Nanostructuring allows the use of insulating materials by enabling tunneling as a possible charge transport mechanism. We demonstrate this using TiO2 as a model system identifying a critical thickness, based on theoretical analysis, of about ∼4 nm for tunneling at a current density of ∼1 mA/cm(2). This is corroborated by electrochemical measurements on conformal thin films synthesized using atomic layer deposition (ALD) identifying a similar critical thickness. We generalize the theoretical analysis deriving a relation between the critical thickness and the location of valence band maximum relative to the limiting potential of the electrochemical surface process. The critical thickness sets the optimum size of the nanoparticle oxide electrocatalyst and this provides an important nanostructuring requirement for metal oxide electrocatalyst design.

Ten-percent solar-to-fuel conversion with nonprecious materials

Direct solar-to-fuels conversion can be achieved by coupling a photovoltaic device with water-splitting catalysts. We demonstrate that a solar-to-fuels efficiency (SFE) > 10% can be achieved with nonprecious, low-cost, and commercially ready materials. We present a systems design of a modular photovoltaic (PV)-electrochemical device comprising a crystalline silicon PV minimodule and low-cost hydrogen-evolution reaction and oxygen-evolution reaction catalysts, without power electronics. This approach allows for facile optimization en route to addressing lower-cost devices relying on crystalline silicon at high SFEs for direct solar-to-fuels conversion.

Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production using Polymeric Carbon Nitride with a Hydrogenase and a Bioinspired Synthetic Ni Catalyst

Solar-light-driven H₂ production in water with a [NiFeSe]-hydrogenase (H₂ase) and a bioinspired synthetic nickel catalyst (NiP) in combination with a heptazine carbon nitride polymer, melon (CN_x), is reported. The semibiological and purely synthetic systems show catalytic activity during solar light irradiation with turnover numbers (TONs) of more than 50 000 mol H₂ (mol H₂ase)⁻¹ and approximately 155 mol H₂ (mol NiP)⁻¹ in redox-mediator-free aqueous solution at pH 6 and 4.5, respectively. Both systems maintained a reduced photoactivity under UV-free solar light irradiation (λ>420 nm).