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Title: Sputtered NiOx Films for Stabilization of p+n-InP Photoanodes for Solar-Driven Water Oxidation

Abstract

A reactively sputtered NiOx film has been used here to stabilize a buried-junction p+n-InP photoanode from anodic dissolution/corrosion for > 48 h of continuous light-driven evolution of O2(g) in 1.0 M KOH(aq) as well as in an aqueous electrolyte buffered at near-neutral pH. Under 1-Sun Air Mass (AM) 1.5G simulated solar illumination, NiOx-protected p+n-InP photoanodes produced photocurrent-onset potentials of -370 ± 10 mV referenced to the equilibrium potential for evolution of O2(g), light-limited photocurrent densities of 20.5 ± 0.3 mA cm-2, and photocurrent densities of 17.5 ± 0.4 mA cm-2 at the equilibrium potential for evolution of O2(g), while evolving O2(g) from 1.0 M KOH(aq) with 100% Faradaic yield. Furthermore, during 48 h of continuous operation, the total charge passed through the electrode, ~4600 C cm-2, exceeded by a factor of at least 10 the amount of charge required to anodically dissolve or oxidize the entire InP substrate.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF); Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
OSTI Identifier:
1633791
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0004993; DMR‐0907652; DMR‐1106369; FA9550‐10‐1‐0572
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Advanced Energy Materials
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 5; Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 1614-6832
Publisher:
Wiley
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
25 ENERGY STORAGE; functional catalysts; InP photoanodes; photoanode protection; solar‐driven water oxidation

Citation Formats

Sun, Ke, Kuang, Yanjin, Verlage, Erik, Brunschwig, Bruce S., Tu, Charles W., and Lewis, Nathan S. Sputtered NiOx Films for Stabilization of p+n-InP Photoanodes for Solar-Driven Water Oxidation. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1002/aenm.201402276.
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Sun, Ke, Kuang, Yanjin, Verlage, Erik, Brunschwig, Bruce S., Tu, Charles W., & Lewis, Nathan S. Sputtered NiOx Films for Stabilization of p+n-InP Photoanodes for Solar-Driven Water Oxidation. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201402276
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Sun, Ke, Kuang, Yanjin, Verlage, Erik, Brunschwig, Bruce S., Tu, Charles W., and Lewis, Nathan S. 2015. "Sputtered NiOx Films for Stabilization of p+n-InP Photoanodes for Solar-Driven Water Oxidation". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201402276. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1633791.
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@article{osti_1633791,
title = {Sputtered NiOx Films for Stabilization of p+n-InP Photoanodes for Solar-Driven Water Oxidation},
author = {Sun, Ke and Kuang, Yanjin and Verlage, Erik and Brunschwig, Bruce S. and Tu, Charles W. and Lewis, Nathan S.},
abstractNote = {A reactively sputtered NiOx film has been used here to stabilize a buried-junction p+n-InP photoanode from anodic dissolution/corrosion for > 48 h of continuous light-driven evolution of O2(g) in 1.0 M KOH(aq) as well as in an aqueous electrolyte buffered at near-neutral pH. Under 1-Sun Air Mass (AM) 1.5G simulated solar illumination, NiOx-protected p+n-InP photoanodes produced photocurrent-onset potentials of -370 ± 10 mV referenced to the equilibrium potential for evolution of O2(g), light-limited photocurrent densities of 20.5 ± 0.3 mA cm-2, and photocurrent densities of 17.5 ± 0.4 mA cm-2 at the equilibrium potential for evolution of O2(g), while evolving O2(g) from 1.0 M KOH(aq) with 100% Faradaic yield. Furthermore, during 48 h of continuous operation, the total charge passed through the electrode, ~4600 C cm-2, exceeded by a factor of at least 10 the amount of charge required to anodically dissolve or oxidize the entire InP substrate.},
doi = {10.1002/aenm.201402276},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1633791}, journal = {Advanced Energy Materials},
issn = {1614-6832},
number = 11,
volume = 5,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Mar 18 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Wed Mar 18 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201402276
Copyright Statement
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Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 83 works
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: (a) Cyclic voltammetry showing the photoanodic passivation of a cleaned n-InP (solid red curve) electrode, and of a cleaned n-InP electrode coated with 70 nm of NiOx (n-InP|NiOx) showing ohmic behavior (dashed curves) in contact with 1.0 M KOH($aq$) without significant difference in behavior for electrodes in themore » dark or under simulated AM 1.5G solar illumination. The inset shows a scanning electron micrograph of an uncoated n-InP electrode after the passage of 48 C cm-2 of anodic charge density, showing a thick indium-rich oxide layer on the InP substrate. (b) Cyclic voltammetry of p+n-InP|NiOx electrodes with correction for uncompensated resistance (blue curve) under illumination and in the dark (black curve), compared to the behavior of a non-photoactive n+-InP|NiOx electrode (green curve). The dotted line is the equilibrium potential for the oxidation of water to O2(g) ($$E^{0,}$$(H2O/O2) = 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)). Under these conditions, the buried junction, rectifying NiOx-coated p+-n InP photoelectrodes showed negligible dark anodic current density for potentials <2.0 V vs RHE (black curve in Figure 1b). Hence the entire current at these potentials was due to photocurrent, in contrast to the non-rectifying behavior observed for n+-InP/NiOx electrodes whose low barrier height produced large anodic currents at positive potentials« less
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      Figure 1(p. 4)figure
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