Low-Cost, Efficient, and Durable H2 Production by Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting with CuGa3Se5 Photocathodes
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting is an elegant method of converting sunlight and water into H2 fuel. To be commercially advantageous, PEC devices must become cheaper, more efficient and much more durable. This work examines low-cost polycrystalline chalcopyrite films, which are successful as photovoltaic absorbers, for application as PEC absorbers. In particular, Cu-Ga-Se films with wide band gaps can be employed as top cell photocathodes in tandem devices as a realistic route to high efficiencies. In this report, we demonstrate that decreasing Cu/Ga composition from 0.66 to 0.31 in Cu-Ga-Se films increased the band gap from 1.67 to 1.86 eV and decreased saturated photocurrent density from 18 to 8 mA/cm2 as measured by chopped-light current-voltage (CLIV) measurements in 0.5 M sulfuric acid electrolyte. Buffer and catalyst surface treatments were not applied to the Cu-Ga-Se films, and they exhibited promising stability, evidenced by unchanged CLIV after 9 months of storage in air. Finally, films with Cu/Ga = 0.36 (approximately stoichiometric CuGa3Se5) and 1.86 eV band gaps had exceptional durability, and continuously split water for 17 days (~12 mA/cm2 at -1 V vs. RHE). This is equivalent to ~17200 C/cm2, which is a world record for any polycrystalline PEC absorber. These results indicate that CuGa3Se5 films are prime candidates for cheaply achieving efficient and durable PEC water splitting.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Univ. of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308; EE0006670
- OSTI ID:
- 1456867
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1570462
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5K00-71606
- Journal Information:
- ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Vol. 10, Issue 23; ISSN 1944-8244
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Efficiency and stability of narrow-gap semiconductor-based photoelectrodes
|
journal | January 2019 |
Recent Advances and Emerging Trends in Photo-Electrochemical Solar Energy Conversion
|
journal | November 2018 |
Metal selenide photocatalysts for visible-light-driven Z -scheme pure water splitting
|
journal | January 2019 |
Recent Advances and Emerging Trends in Photo-Electrochemical Solar Energy Conversion
|
text | January 2019 |
Similar Records
Wide Band Gap CuGa(S,Se)2 Thin Films on Transparent Conductive Fluorinated Tin Oxide Substrates as Photocathode Candidates for Tandem Water Splitting Devices
Novel Chalcopyrites for Advanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting