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Li Y, Wu J, Zheng Y, Fan Y, Bian T, Fan X, Masendu SV, Xu J, Shao Z. Hydration deactivation mechanism of the 〈100〉 oriented cuprous oxide photocathodes in solar water splitting and the regenerated three-dimensional structure. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:1625-1629. [PMID: 38170902 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp04652d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Photocorrosion is the most ticklish problem of cuprous oxide (Cu2O), and it is widely assumed that the deactivation of Cu2O photocathodes in solar water splitting is caused by spontaneous oxidation-reduction (REDOX) reactions. However, this work shows that 〈100〉-oriented Cu2O photocathodes undergo a non-REDOX hydration deactivation mechanism. Briefly, water molecules are embedded in the Cu2O crystals at low potential under illumination and produce amorphous CuOH, which can be dehydrated at high potential to heal the Cu-O-Cu bonds and regenerate foamed Cu2O films with a three-dimensional skeleton structure. This study provides a new insight towards the protection and application of Cu2O photocathodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiating Wu
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Yuhe Zheng
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Yajing Fan
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Ting Bian
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Xinyu Fan
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Santana Vimbai Masendu
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Junhua Xu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zongping Shao
- WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering (WASM-MECE), Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
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Wu Q, Ma H, Wang Y, Chen J, Dai J, Xu X, Wu X. Surface Electron Localization in Cu-MOF-Bonded Double-Heterojunction Cu 2O Induces Highly Efficient Photocatalytic CO 2 Reduction. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:54328-54337. [PMID: 36399665 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c15278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Truncated octahedron Cu2O (TOC) has attracted more attention for its suitable band gap and high carrier separation efficiency due to introduction of the facet heterojunction, but its practical drawback is still the instability caused by the irreversible disproportionation reaction (Cu2O → Cu + CuO). Here, we design and fabricate the TOC/Cu-MOF (MOF: metal-organic framework) double-heterojunction structures with different Cu-MOF loadings. The introduced heterojunction between TOC and Cu-MOF not only produces a stable interface Cux+ bonding structure with the electronic states localized within the average collisional diameter of electrons 1.72 nm for TOC/2.1 wt %Cu-MOF as the active sites, but also promotes the surface energy level difference between the (100) and (111) facet heterojunctions. Meanwhile, the bonded Cu-MOF with a narrow bandgap effectively consumes holes by recombination with the photoexcited electrons from Cu-MOF itself. In our experiments, the TOC/Cu-MOF double heterostructure with a loading amount of 2.1 wt % Cu-MOF shows an optimal photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance. The CO evolution rate reaches 23.01 μmol g-1 h-1, which is about 2.01 and 4.47 times larger than those of octahedral and hexahedral Cu2O/Cu-MOF, respectively, and an excellent photostability is shown for four cycles with each cycle lasting for 4 h. Such a double heterostructure provides insight into highly efficient electron transfer and photostability in Cu2O-related composite materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qifan Wu
- National Laboratory of Solid States Microstructures and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing210093, China
| | - Heng Ma
- National Laboratory of Solid States Microstructures and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing210093, China
| | - Yixian Wang
- National Laboratory of Solid States Microstructures and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing210093, China
| | - Jian Chen
- National Laboratory of Solid States Microstructures and Research Institute of Superconductor Electronics, Nanjing University, Nanjing210093, China
| | - Jun Dai
- School of Mathematics & Physics, Jiangsu University Science & Technology, Zhenjiang212003, China
| | - Xiaobing Xu
- College of Electronic Engineering, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing211171, China
| | - Xinglong Wu
- National Laboratory of Solid States Microstructures and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing210093, China
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3
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High-efficiency and sustainable photoelectric conversion of CO2 to methanol over CuxO/TNTs catalyst by pulse potential method. J Solid State Electrochem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10008-019-04439-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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4
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Toe CY, Scott J, Amal R, Ng YH. Recent advances in suppressing the photocorrosion of cuprous oxide for photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical energy conversion. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY C-PHOTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochemrev.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Li Y, Luo K. Performance improvement of a p-Cu 2O nanocrystal photocathode with an ultra-thin silver protective layer. Chem Commun (Camb) 2019; 55:9963-9966. [PMID: 31365000 DOI: 10.1039/c9cc04994k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A Ag film with 10 nm thickness is deposited on a directionally grown Cu2O single crystal photocathode by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). The continuous Ag film not only forms a dense proton isolator, but also constructs a Schottky junction with Cu2O to accelerate the transportation of photo-induced electrons. After optimization, the photocathode exhibits much-improved activity and stability versus the unmodified one, and over 98% stability (state-of-the-art) remains after 5 h of light-chopping chronoamperometry. The sustained photocurrent density is 4.0 mA cm-2 at 0 VRHE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212003, P. R. China.
| | - Kai Luo
- School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212003, P. R. China.
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Wang S, Liu G, Wang L. Crystal Facet Engineering of Photoelectrodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5192-5247. [PMID: 30875200 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 257] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising approach for solar-driven hydrogen production with zero emissions, and it has been intensively studied over the past decades. However, the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies of the current PEC systems are still far from the 10% target needed for practical application. The development of efficient photoelectrodes in PEC systems holds the key to achieving high STH efficiencies. In recent years, crystal facet engineering has emerged as an important strategy in designing efficient photoelectrodes for PEC water splitting, which has yet to be comprehensively reviewed and is the main focus of this article. After the Introduction, the second section of this review concisely introduces the mechanisms of crystal facet engineering. The subsequent section provides a snapshot of the unique facet-dependent properties of some semiconductor crystals including surface electronic structures, redox reaction sites, surface built-in electric fields, molecular adsorption, photoreaction activity, photocorrosion resistance, and electrical conductivity. Then, the methods for fabricating photoelectrodes with faceted semiconductor crystals are reviewed, with a focus on the preparation processes. In addition, the notable advantages of the crystal facet engineering of photoelectrodes in terms of light harvesting, charge separation and transfer, and surface reactions are critically discussed. This is followed by a systematic overview of the modification strategies of faceted photoelectrodes to further enhance the PEC performance. The last section summarizes the major challenges and some invigorating perspectives for future research on crystal facet engineered photoelectrodes, which are believed to play a vital role in promoting the development of this important research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songcan Wang
- Nanomaterials Centre, School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , Queensland 4072 , Australia
| | - Gang Liu
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science , Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences , 72 Wenhua Road , Shenyang 110016 , China.,School of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Science and Technology of China , 72 Wenhua Road , Shenyang 110016 , China
| | - Lianzhou Wang
- Nanomaterials Centre, School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , Queensland 4072 , Australia
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Toe CY, Zheng Z, Wu H, Scott J, Amal R, Ng YH. Photocorrosion of Cuprous Oxide in Hydrogen Production: Rationalising Self-Oxidation or Self-Reduction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201807647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cui Ying Toe
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Zhaoke Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials; Shandong University; Jinan 250100 China
| | - Hao Wu
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Jason Scott
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Rose Amal
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Yun Hau Ng
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
- School of Energy and Environment; City University of Hong Kong; Kowloon Hong Kong SAR P.R. China
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8
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Toe CY, Zheng Z, Wu H, Scott J, Amal R, Ng YH. Photocorrosion of Cuprous Oxide in Hydrogen Production: Rationalising Self-Oxidation or Self-Reduction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:13613-13617. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201807647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cui Ying Toe
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Zhaoke Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials; Shandong University; Jinan 250100 China
| | - Hao Wu
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Jason Scott
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Rose Amal
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Yun Hau Ng
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group; School of Chemical Engineering; The University of New South Wales; Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
- School of Energy and Environment; City University of Hong Kong; Kowloon Hong Kong SAR P.R. China
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9
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Sun S, Yang Q, Liang S, Yang Z. Hollow CuxO (x = 2, 1) micro/nanostructures: synthesis, fundamental properties and applications. CrystEngComm 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ce01530e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we comprehensively summarize the important advances in hollow CuxO micro/nanostructures, including the universal synthesis strategies, the interfacial Cu–O atomic structures as well as the intrinsic properties, and potential applications. Remarks on emerging issues and promising research directions are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaodong Sun
- Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory for Electrical Materials and Infiltration Technology
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Xi'an University of Technology
- Xi'an 710048
- People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Yang
- Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory for Electrical Materials and Infiltration Technology
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Xi'an University of Technology
- Xi'an 710048
- People's Republic of China
| | - Shuhua Liang
- Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory for Electrical Materials and Infiltration Technology
- School of Materials Science and Engineering
- Xi'an University of Technology
- Xi'an 710048
- People's Republic of China
| | - Zhimao Yang
- School of Science
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials
- MOE Key Laboratory for Non-Equilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter
- Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology
- Xi'an Jiaotong University
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