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Zhao Y, Niu Z, Zhao J, Xue L, Fu X, Long J. Recent Advancements in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting for Hydrogen Production. ELECTROCHEM ENERGY R 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s41918-022-00153-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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Wang Q, Liu J, Li Q, Yang J. Stability of Photocathodes: A Review on Principles, Design, and Strategies. CHEMSUSCHEM 2023; 16:e202202186. [PMID: 36789473 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202202186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical devices based on semiconductor photoelectrode can directly convert and store solar energy into chemical fuels. Although the efficient photoelectrodes with commercially valuable solar-to-fuel energy conversion efficiency have been reported over past decades, one of the most enormous challenges is the stability of the photoelectrode due to corrosion during operation. Thus, it is of paramount importance for developing a stable photoelectrode to deploy solar-fuel production. This Review commences with a fundamental understanding of thermodynamics for photoelectrochemical reactions and the fundamentals of photocathodes. Then, the commercial application of photoelectrochemical technology is prospected. We specifically focus on recent strategies for designing photocathodes with long-term stability, including energy band alignment, hole transport/storage/blocking layer, spatial decoupling, grafting molecular catalysts, protective/passivation layer, surface element reconstruction, and solvent effects. Based on the insights gained from these effective strategies, we propose an outlook of key aspects that address the challenges for development of stable photoelectrodes in future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinglong Wang
- National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China
| | - Jinfeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, P. R. China
| | - Qiuye Li
- National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China
| | - Jianjun Yang
- National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Applied Technology of Hybrid Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, P. R. China
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Hemmerling JR, Mathur A, Linic S. Design Principles for Efficient and Stable Water Splitting Photoelectrocatalysts. Acc Chem Res 2021; 54:1992-2002. [PMID: 33794089 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.1c00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
ConspectusPhotoelectrochemical water splitting is a promising avenue for sustainable production of hydrogen used in the chemical industry and hydrogen fuel cells. The basic components of most photoelectrochemical water splitting systems are semiconductor light absorbers coupled to electrocatalysts, which perform the desired chemical reactions. A critical challenge for the design of these systems is the lack of stability for the majority of desired semiconductors under operating water splitting conditions. One strategy to address this issue is to protect the semiconductor by covering it with a stabilizing insulator layer, creating a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) architecture, which has demonstrated improved stability. In addition to enhanced stability, the insulator layer may significantly affect the electron and hole transfer, which governs the recombination rates. Furthermore, the insertion of an insulator layer leads to the introduction of additional insulator/electrocatalyst and insulator/semiconductor interfaces. These interfaces can impact the system's performance significantly, and they need to be carefully engineered to optimize the efficiencies of MIS systems. In this Account, we describe our recent progress in shedding light on the critical role of the insulator and the interfaces on the performance of MIS systems. We discuss our findings by focusing on the concrete example of planar n-type Si protected by a HfO2 insulator layer and coupled to a Ni or Ir electrocatalyst that performs the oxygen evolution reaction, one of the water splitting half-reactions. To improve our fundamental understanding of the insulator layer, we precisely control the HfO2 insulator thickness using atomic layer deposition (ALD), and we perform a series of rigorous electrochemical experiments coupled with theory and modeling. We demonstrate that by tuning the insulator thickness, we can control the flux and recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes to optimize the generated photovoltage. Despite optimizing the thickness, we find that the maximum generated photovoltage in MIS systems is often significantly lower than the upper performance limit, i.e., there are additional losses in the system that could not be addressed by optimizing the insulator thickness. We identify the sources of these losses and describe strategies to minimize them by a combination of improving the semiconductor light absorption, removing nonidealities associated with interfacial defects, and finding alternative insulators with improved charge carrier selectivity. Finally, we quantify the improvements that can be obtained by implementing these specific strategies. Our collective work outlines strategies to analyze MIS systems, identify the sources of efficiency losses, and optimize the design to approach the fundamental performance limits. These general approaches are broadly applicable to photoelectrochemical materials that utilize sunlight to produce value-added chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R. Hemmerling
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Catalysis Science and Technology Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Aarti Mathur
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Catalysis Science and Technology Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Suljo Linic
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
- Catalysis Science and Technology Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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Wei S, Wang C, Long X, Wang T, Wang P, Zhang M, Li S, Ma J, Jin J, Wu L. A oxygen vacancy-modulated homojunction structural CuBi 2O 4 photocathodes for efficient solar water reduction. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:15193-15200. [PMID: 32638787 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr04473c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The photoelectrochemical (PEC) water reduction performance of CuBi2O4 (CBO)-based photocathodes is still far from their theoretical values due to low bulk and surface charge separation efficiencies. Herein, we propose a regrowth strategy to prepare a photocathode with CBO coating on Zn-doped CBO (CBO/Zn-CBO). Furthermore, NaBH4 treatment of CBO/Zn-CBO introduced oxygen vacancies (Ov) on CBO/Zn-CBO. It was found that Zn-doping not only increases the charge carrier concentration of CBO, but also leads to appropriate band alignment to form homojunctions. This homojunction can effectively promote the separation of electron-hole pairs, thus obtaining excellent photocurrent density (0.5 mA cm-2 at 0.3 V vs. RHE) and charge separation efficiency (1.5 times than CBO). The following surface treatment induced Ov on CBO/Zn-CBO, which significantly increased the active area of the surface catalytic reaction and further enhanced the photocurrent density (0.6 mA cm-2). In the absence of cocatalysts, the electron injection efficiency of Ov/CBO/Zn-CBO was 1.47 times improved than that of CBO. This work demonstrates a homojunction photocathode with Ov modulation, which provides a new view for future photoelectrochemical water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenqi Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of Catalytic Engineering of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Chenglong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of Catalytic Engineering of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Xuefeng Long
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of Catalytic Engineering of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Tong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of Catalytic Engineering of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Peng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of Catalytic Engineering of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Mingrui Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University for Nationalities, Lanzhou, Gansu 730030, P.R. China.
| | - Shuwen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of Catalytic Engineering of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Jiantai Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of Catalytic Engineering of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Jun Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of Catalytic Engineering of Gansu Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Lan Wu
- College of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University for Nationalities, Lanzhou, Gansu 730030, P.R. China.
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