Effective Corrosion-Resistant Single-Atom Alloy Catalyst on HfO2-Passivated BiVO4 Photoanode for Durable (≈800&nbsp;h) Solar Water Oxidation

Arunachalam, Maheswari; Lee, Kug‐Seung; Zhu, Kai; Kang, Soon Hyung

doi:10.1002/aenm.202402607

Effective Corrosion-Resistant Single-Atom Alloy Catalyst on HfO₂-Passivated BiVO₄ Photoanode for Durable (≈800 h) Solar Water Oxidation

Journal Article · Fri Sep 13 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Advanced Energy Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202402607· OSTI ID:2447843

Arunachalam, Maheswari ^[1]; Lee, Kug‐Seung ^[2]; ^[3]; Kang, Soon Hyung ^[1]

Chonnam National Univ., Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)
Pohang Univ. of Science and Technology (POSTECH) (Korea, Republic of)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Green hydrogen (H₂) production from solar water splitting necessitates photoelectrodes with superior photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity and durability. However, surface defects and photocorrosion instability—especially at high potentials—limit PEC performance and stability. Herein, the prototypical bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄) photoanode is used to demonstrate a holistic approach to improve photocurrent density and long-term stability. In this approach, high surface-area nanostructuring of BiVO₄ is combined with barium (Ba) doping with semi-crystalline hafnium oxide (HfO₂) surface passivation and single-atom nickel platinum (NiPt) catalysts. The introduction of Ba²⁺ ions into BiVO₄ increases the concentration of conductive V⁴⁺ ions or the ratio of V⁴⁺ ions to oxygen vacancies, avoiding V⁵⁺ dissolution during water oxidation. The semi-crystalline HfO₂, which serves as a passivation layer, prevents BiVO₄ photocorrosion by suppressing harmful chemical reactions when holes are transferred to the electrolyte. The synergistic use of isolated single-atom and Ni-Pt coordination improves charge transfer at the photoanode/electrolyte interface, leading to enhanced PEC kinetics and stability. As a result, a photoelectrode is demonstrated with ≈6.5 mA cm^-2 at 1.23 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and continuous operation for 800 h with a negligible degradation rate. This work provides a promising approach to improve photoanodes for PEC H₂ production.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI); National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 2447843

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5900-91253; MainId:93031; UUID:dc8d4173-ea66-41a9-a760-972ca9d88bef; MainAdminId:73868

Journal Information:: Advanced Energy Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Energy Materials Journal Issue: 44 Vol. 14; ISSN 1614-6832

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Effective Corrosion-Resistant Single-Atom Alloy Catalyst on HfO2-Passivated BiVO4 Photoanode for Durable (≈800 h) Solar Water Oxidation

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Effective Corrosion-Resistant Single-Atom Alloy Catalyst on HfO₂-Passivated BiVO₄ Photoanode for Durable (≈800 h) Solar Water Oxidation