Solar-to-Hydrogen Photovoltaic/Photoelectrochemical Devices Using Amorphous Silicon Carbide as the Photoelectrode

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2008

OSTI ID:1022386

Hu, J; Zhu, F; Matulionis, I; Kunrath, A; Deutsch, T; Kuritzky, L; Miller, E; Madan, A

We report the use of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) as the photoelectrode in an integrated 'hybrid' photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell to produce hydrogen directly from water using sunlight. Results on the durability of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) photoelectrodes in an electrolyte are presented. In a pH2 electrolyte, the a-SiC:H photoelectrode exhibits excellent stability for 100 hour test so far performed. A photocurrent onset shift (anodically) after a 24- or 100-hour durability test in electrolyte is observed, likely due to changes in the surface chemical structure of the a-SiC:H photoelectrode. It is also observed that a thin SiOx layer native to the air exposed surface of the a-SiC:H affects the photocurrent and the its onset shift. Finally, approaches for eliminating the external bias voltage and enhancing the solar-to-hydrogen efficiency in a PV/PEC hybrid structure to achieve {>=} 10% are presented.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1022386
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

08 HYDROGEN
14 SOLAR ENERGY
AIR
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
EFFICIENCY
ELECTROLYTES
HYDROGEN
Hydrogen Technologies and Systems
PHOTOCURRENTS
PLASMA
SILICON CARBIDES
SOLAR ENERGY
STABILITY
WATER