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Multifunctional Coatings from Scalable Single Source Precursor Chemistry in Tandem Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting


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Authors

Lai, YH 
Palm, DW 

Abstract

jats:pThe straightforward and inexpensive fabrication of stabilized and activated photoelectrodes for application to tandem photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is reported. Semiconductors such as Si, WOjats:sub3</jats:sub>, and BiVOjats:sub4</jats:sub> can be coated with a composite layer formed upon hydrolytic decomposition of hetero­bimetallic single source precursors (SSPs) based on Ti and Ni, or Ti and Co in a simple single‐step process under ambient conditions. The resulting 3d‐transition metal oxide composite films are multifunctional, as they protect the semiconductor electrode from corrosion with an amorphous TiOjats:sub2</jats:sub> coating and act as bifunctional electrocatalysts for Hjats:sub2</jats:sub> and Ojats:sub2</jats:sub> evolution based on catalytic Ni or Co species. Thus, this approach enables the use of the same precursors for both photoelectrodes in tandem PEC water splitting, and SSP chemistry is thereby established as a highly versatile low‐cost approach to protect and activate photoelectrodes. In an optimized system, SSP coating of a Si photocathode and a BiVOjats:sub4</jats:sub> photoanode resulted in a benchmark noble metal‐free dual‐photoelectrode tandem PEC cell for overall solar water splitting with an applied bias solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.59% and a half‐life photostability of 5 h.</jats:p>

Description

Keywords

nanocomposite materials, photocatalysis, photoelectrochemistry, solar energy, water splitting

Journal Title

Advanced Energy Materials

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1614-6832
1614-6840

Volume Title

5

Publisher

Wiley
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/H00338X/2)
Financial support from the Christian Doppler Research Association (Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy and National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development), the OMV Group and the EPSRC (EP/H00338X/2) is gratefully acknowledged. D.W.P. acknowledges support from the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States. We thank the National EPSRC XPS User’s Service (NEXUS) at Newcastle University, an EPSRC Mid-Range Facility for XPS measurements.