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Son MK. Key Strategies on Cu 2O Photocathodes toward Practical Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2023; 13:3142. [PMID: 38133039 PMCID: PMC10745550 DOI: 10.3390/nano13243142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) has been intensively in the limelight as a promising photocathode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The state-of-the-art Cu2O photocathode consists of a back contact layer for transporting the holes, an overlayer for accelerating charge separation, a protection layer for prohibiting the photocorrosion, and a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst for reducing the overpotential of HER, as well as a Cu2O layer for absorbing sunlight. In this review, the fundamentals and recent research progress on these components of efficient and durable Cu2O photocathodes are analyzed in detail. Furthermore, key strategies on the development of Cu2O photocathodes for the practical PEC water-splitting system are suggested. It provides the specific guidelines on the future research direction for the practical application of a PEC water-splitting system based on Cu2O photocathodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Kyu Son
- Nano Convergence Materials Center, Emerging Materials R&D Division, Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering & Technology (KICET), Jinju 52851, Republic of Korea
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2
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Goodwin LE, Till P, Bhardwaj M, Nazer N, Adelhelm P, Tietz F, Zeier WG, Richter FH, Janek J. Protective NaSICON Interlayer between a Sodium-Tin Alloy Anode and Sulfide-Based Solid Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Sodium Batteries. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2023; 15:50457-50468. [PMID: 37856165 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c09256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a suitable combination of different sodium solid electrolytes to surpass the challenge of highly reactive cell components in sodium batteries. The focus is laid on the introduction of ceramic Na3.4Zr2Si2.4P0.6O12 serving as a protective layer for sulfide-based separator electrolytes to avoid the high reactivity with the sodium metal anode. The chemical instability of the anode|sulfide solid electrolyte interface is demonstrated by impedance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The Na3.4Zr2Si2.4P0.6O12 disk shows chemical stability with the sodium metal anode as well as the sulfide solid electrolyte. Impedance analysis suggests an electrochemically stable interface. Electron microscopy points to a reaction at the Na3.4Zr2Si2.4P0.6O12 surface toward the sulfide solid electrolyte, which does not seem to affect the performance negatively. The results presented prove the chemical stabilization of the anode-separator interface using a Na3.4Zr2Si2.4P0.6O12 interlayer, which is an important step toward a sodium all-solid-state battery. Due to the applied pressure that is mandatory for battery cells with sulfide-based cathode composite, the use of a brittle ceramic in such cells remains challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Goodwin
- Institute for Physical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- Center for Materials Research (ZfM), Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Paul Till
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Monika Bhardwaj
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Materials Synthesis and Processing (IEK-1), 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Nazia Nazer
- Institute of Chemistry, Humboldt University Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Adelhelm
- Institute of Chemistry, Humboldt University Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Tietz
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Materials Synthesis and Processing (IEK-1), 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang G Zeier
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Institut für Energie- und Klimaforschung (IEK), IEK-12: Helmholtz-Institut Münster, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Felix H Richter
- Institute for Physical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- Center for Materials Research (ZfM), Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Janek
- Institute for Physical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
- Center for Materials Research (ZfM), Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
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Ho HC, Smiljanić M, Jovanović Z, Čekada M, Kovač J, Koster G, Hlinka J, Hodnik N, Spreitzer M. Robust SrTiO 3 Passivation of Silicon Photocathode by Reduced Graphene Oxide for Solar Water Splitting. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2023; 15:44482-44492. [PMID: 37695941 PMCID: PMC10520914 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c07747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Development of a robust photocathode using low-cost and high-performing materials, e.g., p-Si, to produce clean fuel hydrogen has remained challenging since the semiconductor substrate is easily susceptible to (photo)corrosion under photoelectrochemical (PEC) operational conditions. A protective layer over the substrate to simultaneously provide corrosion resistance and maintain efficient charge transfer across the device is therefore needed. To this end, in the present work, we utilized pulsed laser deposition (PLD) to prepare a high-quality SrTiO3 (STO) layer to passivate the p-Si substrate using a buffer layer of reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Specifically, a very thin (3.9 nm ∼10 unit cells) STO layer epitaxially overgrown on rGO-buffered Si showed the highest onset potential (0.326 V vs RHE) in comparison to the counterparts with thicker and/or nonepitaxial STO. The photovoltage, flat-band potential, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements revealed that the epitaxial photocathode was more beneficial for charge separation, charge transfer, and targeted redox reaction than the nonepitaxial one. The STO/rGO/Si with a smooth and highly epitaxial STO layer outperforming the directly contacted STO/Si with a textured and polycrystalline STO layer showed the importance of having a well-defined passivation layer. In addition, the numerous pinholes formed in the directly contacted STO/Si led to the rapid degradation of the photocathode during the PEC measurements. The stability tests demonstrated the soundness of the epitaxial STO layer in passivating Si against corrosion. This study provided a facile approach for preparing a robust protection layer over a photoelectrode substrate in realizing an efficient and, at the same time, durable PEC device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Chia Ho
- Advanced
Materials Department, Jožef Stefan
Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Milutin Smiljanić
- Department
of Materials Chemistry, National Institute
of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Zoran Jovanović
- Advanced
Materials Department, Jožef Stefan
Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Laboratory
of Physics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences—National
Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University
of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Miha Čekada
- Department
of Thin Films and Surfaces, Jožef
Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Janez Kovač
- Department
of Surface Engineering, Jožef Stefan
Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gertjan Koster
- MESA+
Institute for Nanotechnology, University
of Twente, Enschede 7522, NB, The Netherlands
| | - Jiří Hlinka
- Department
of Dielectrics, Institute of Physics of
the Czech Academy of Sciences, 182 00 Prague, Czech
Republic
| | - Nejc Hodnik
- Department
of Materials Chemistry, National Institute
of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matjaž Spreitzer
- Advanced
Materials Department, Jožef Stefan
Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Kim JM, Xu Y, Engelhard MH, Hu J, Lim HS, Jia H, Yang Z, Matthews BE, Tripathi S, Zhang X, Zhong L, Lin F, Wang C, Xu W. Facile Dual- Protection Layer and Advanced Electrolyte Enhancing Performances of Cobalt-free/Nickel-rich Cathodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:17405-17414. [PMID: 35388687 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c01694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite cobalt (Co)-free/nickel (Ni)-rich layered oxides being considered as one of the promising cathode materials due to their high specific capacity, their highly reactive surface still hinders practical application. Herein, a polyimide/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PI/PVP, denoted as PP) coating layer is demonstrated as dual protection for the LiNi0.96Mg0.02Ti0.02O2 (NMT) cathode material to suppress surface contamination against moist air and to prevent unwanted interfacial side reactions during cycling. The PP-coated NMT (PP@NMT) preserves a relatively clean surface with the bare generation of lithium residues, structural degradation, and gas evolution even after exposure to air with ∼30% humidity for 2 weeks compared to the bare NMT. In addition, the exposed PP@NMT significantly enhances the electrochemical performance of graphite||NMT cells by preventing byproducts and structural distortion. Moreover, the exposed PP@NMT achieves a high capacity retention of 86.7% after 500 cycles using an advanced localized high-concentration electrolyte. This work demonstrates promising protection of Co-free/Ni-rich layered cathodes for their practical usage even after exposure to moist air.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ju-Myung Kim
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Yaobin Xu
- Environmental and Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Mark H Engelhard
- Environmental and Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Jiangtao Hu
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Hyung-Seok Lim
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Hao Jia
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Zhijie Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Bethany E Matthews
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Shalini Tripathi
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Xianhui Zhang
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Lirong Zhong
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Feng Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Chongmin Wang
- Environmental and Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Wu Xu
- Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
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Yu Y, Huang G, Wang JZ, Li K, Ma JL, Zhang XB. In Situ Designing a Gradient Li + Capture and Quasi-Spontaneous Diffusion Anode Protection Layer toward Long-Life Li-O 2 Batteries. Adv Mater 2020; 32:e2004157. [PMID: 32776397 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202004157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Lithium metal is the only anode material that can enable the Li-O2 battery to realize its high theoretical energy density (≈3500 Wh kg-1 ). However, the inherent uncontrolled dendrite growth and serious corrosion limitations of lithium metal anodes make it experience fast degradation and impede the practical application of Li-O2 batteries. Herein, a multifunctional complementary LiF/F-doped carbon gradient protection layer on a lithium metal anode by one-step in situ reaction of molten Li with poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) is developed. The abundant strong polar C-F bonds in the upper carbon can not only act as Li+ capture site to pre-uniform Li+ flux but also regulate the electron configuration of LiF to make Li+ quasi-spontaneously diffuse from carbon to LiF surface, avoiding the strong Li+ -adhesion-induced Li aggregation. For LiF, it can behave as fast Li+ conductor and homogenize the nucleation sites on lithium, as well as ensure firm connection with lithium. As a result, this well-designed protection layer endows the Li metal anode with dendrite-free plating/stripping and anticorrosion behavior both in ether-based and carbonate ester-based electrolytes. Even applied protected Li anodes in Li-O2 batteries, its superiority can still be maintained, making the cell achieve stable cycling performance (180 cycles).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, P. R. China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P. R. China
| | - Gang Huang
- Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jia-Zhi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, P. R. China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P. R. China
| | - Kai Li
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, P. R. China
| | - Jin-Ling Ma
- School of Electrical Engineering, Chongqing University, 174 Shazheng Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China
| | - Xin-Bo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, P. R. China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, P. R. China
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Yan X, Zhang H, Huang M, Qu M, Wei Z. Self-Formed Protection Layer on a 3D Lithium Metal Anode for Ultrastable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries. ChemSusChem 2019; 12:2263-2270. [PMID: 30802359 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201900119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Lithium metal anodes are a key component of high-energy-density lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, the issues associated with lithium anodes remain unsolved owing to the immature lithium anode construction and protection technology, which leads to internal short circuits, poor capacity retention, and low coulombic efficiency for high-sulfur-loading Li-S batteries. Herein, a highly stable 3D lithium carbon fiber composite (3D LiCF) anode for high-sulfur-loading Li-S batteries was demonstrated, in which a self-formed hybrid solid-electrolyte protection layer was constructed on a lithium metal surface through codeposition of thiophenolate ions and inorganic lithium salts by using diphenyl disulfide as a co-additive in the electrolyte. The aromatic components from thiophenolate could improve the stability of the protection layer, and the 3D structure of the carbon fiber could effectively buffer the volume effect during lithium cycling. A Li-S battery based on a 3D LiCF anode exhibited excellent cycling stability with an energy efficiency of 89.2 % for 100 cycles in terms of a high energy density of 22.3 mWh cm-2 (10 mAh cm-2 area capacity of lithium cycling). This contribution demonstrates versatile and ingenious strategies for the construction of a 3D lithium anode structure and protection layer, providing an effective solution for practical stable Li-S batteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxiu Yan
- Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, P.R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P.R. China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, P.R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P.R. China
| | - Meiling Huang
- Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, P.R. China
| | - Meizhen Qu
- Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, P.R. China
| | - Zhikai Wei
- Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, P.R. China
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7
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Moehl T, Suh J, Sévery L, Wick-Joliat R, Tilley SD. Investigation of (Leaky) ALD TiO 2 Protection Layers for Water-Splitting Photoelectrodes. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2017; 9:43614-43622. [PMID: 29190064 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b12564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Protective overlayers for light absorbers in photoelectrochemical water-splitting devices have gained considerable attention in recent years. They stabilize light absorbers which would normally be prone to chemical side reactions leading to degradation of the absorber. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) enables conformal and reproducible ultrathin protective layer growth even on highly structured substrates. One of the most widely investigated protective layers is amorphous TiO2, deposited by ALD at a relatively low temperature (120-150 °C). We have deposited protective layers from tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium(IV) at two different temperatures and investigated their chemical composition as well as optical and electrochemical properties. Our main findings reveal a change in the flat band potential with thickness, reaching a stable value of about -50 to -100 mV versus reversible hydrogen electrode for films >30 nm, with doping densities of ∼1020 cm3. Practical thicknesses to achieve pinhole-free films are evaluated and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Moehl
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jihye Suh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Sévery
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - René Wick-Joliat
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - S David Tilley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Park YC, Park BC, Romankov S, Park KJ, Yoo JH, Lee YB, Yang JM. Use of permanent marker to deposit a protection layer against FIB damage in TEM specimen preparation. J Microsc 2014; 255:180-7. [PMID: 24957186 DOI: 10.1111/jmi.12150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Permanent marker deposition (PMD), which creates permanent writing on an object with a permanent marker, was investigated as a method to deposit a protection layer against focused ion beam damage. PMD is a simple, fast and cheap process. Further, PMD is excellent in filling in narrow and deep trenches, enabling damage-free observation of high aspect ratio structures with atomic resolution in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The microstructure, composition, gap filling ability and planarization of the PMD layer were studied using dual beam focused ion beam, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. It was found that a PMD layer is basically an amorphous carbon structure, and that such a layer should be at least 65 nm thick to protect a surface against 30 keV focused ion beam damage. We suggest that such a PMD layer can be an excellent protection layer to maintain a pristine sample structure against focused ion beam damage during transmission electron microscopy specimen preparation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y C Park
- National Nanofab Center (NNFC), Daejeon, South Korea
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