Creating stable interfaces between reactive materials: titanium nitride protects photoabsorber–catalyst interface in water-splitting photocathodes

Hwang, Shinjae; Porter, Spencer H.; Laursen, Anders B.; Yang, Hongbin; Li, Mengjun; Manichev, Viacheslav; Calvinho, Karin D.; Amarasinghe, Voshadhi; Greenblatt, Martha; Garfunkel, Eric; Dismukes, G. Charles

doi:10.1039/c8ta12186a

Title: Creating stable interfaces between reactive materials: titanium nitride protects photoabsorber–catalyst interface in water-splitting photocathodes

Journal Article · 08 January 2019 · Journal of Materials Chemistry. A

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ta12186a · OSTI ID:1613490

^[1]; Porter, Spencer H. ^[2];

^[2]; Yang, Hongbin ^[2]; Li, Mengjun ^[2]; Manichev, Viacheslav ^[2];

^[2]; Amarasinghe, Voshadhi ^[2];

^[2];

^[2]

Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States); DOE/OSTI
Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States)

The development of a solar-driven water splitting device that replaces costly precious metals, while achieving stable high performance, is a major challenge. Transition metal phosphides are active and low-cost catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), although, none thus far have exhibited stable performance when interfaced with semiconductors. In this work, we report on a monolithic junction consisting of cubic-NiP₂:TiN:Si, fabricated using both commercial and custom Si photovoltaics. Stable performance is achieved using an ultrathin film of crystalline TiN that effectively hinders atomic diffusion between interfaces during fabrication. Crystalline cubic-NiP₂ deposited on TiN/n⁺p-Si retains 97% of the bare Si photovoltage, comparable saturation current density to bare Si, and has a turnover frequency of 1.04 H₂ per site per s at -100 mV applied potential. In acid, it requires only -150 mV additional overpotential compared to the benchmark, Pt/TiN/n⁺p-Si, to reach a HER photocurrent density of -10 mA cm^-2. This photocathode maintains a stable H₂ photocurrent (±10%) for at least 125 hours, the duration of testing. When the same layers are fabricated on a commercial Si solar cell, this photocathode produced double the photocurrent density (36.3 mA cm^-2, under simulated 1.5 AM G illumination). Physical characterization gives detailed information on the properties responsible for the observed activity and durability of these interfaces. In general, the thin-film methodology presented here is widely applicable, demonstrates superior activity, and achieves long-term stability.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Cite

Export

Save

Research Organization:: Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: EE0008083; SC0012704

OSTI ID:: 1613490

Journal Information:: Journal of Materials Chemistry. A, Journal Name: Journal of Materials Chemistry. A Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 7; ISSN 2050-7488

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (63)

Hydrogen Production Using a Molybdenum Sulfide Catalyst on a Titanium-Protected n+p-Silicon Photocathode Seger, Brian; Laursen, Anders B.; Vesborg, Peter C. K. Angewandte Chemie, Vol. 124, Issue 36 https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.201203585	journal	August 2012
Hydrogen Production Using a Molybdenum Sulfide Catalyst on a Titanium-Protected n+p-Silicon Photocathode Seger, Brian; Laursen, Anders B.; Vesborg, Peter C. K. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 51, Issue 36 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201203585	journal	August 2012
One-Step Synthesis of Self-Supported Nickel Phosphide Nanosheet Array Cathodes for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Generation Wang, Xiaoguang; Kolen'ko, Yury V.; Bao, Xiao-Qing Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 54, Issue 28 https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201502577	journal	June 2015
Helium ion microscopy and its application to nanotechnology and nanometrology Postek, Michael T.; Vladár, Andras E. Scanning, Vol. 30, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1002/sca.20129	journal	November 2008
Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Chen, Zhebo; Dinh, Huyen N.; Miller, Eric SpringerBriefs in Energy https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8298-7	book	January 2013
A reassessment of electron escape depths in silicon and thermally grown silicon dioxide thin films Hochella, M. F.; Carim, A. H. Surface Science, Vol. 197, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0039-6028(88)90625-5	journal	January 1988
Thermal oxidation of transition metal silicides Jiang, H.; Petersson, C. S.; Nicolet, M. -A. Thin Solid Films, Vol. 140, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-6090(86)90166-5	journal	June 1986
Formation and stability of silicides on polycrystalline silicon Colgan, E. G.; Gambino, J. P.; Hong, Q. Z. Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports, Vol. 16, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0927-796X(95)00186-7	journal	February 1996
Electrochemical oxidation behavior of titanium nitride based electrocatalysts under PEM fuel cell conditions Avasarala, Bharat; Haldar, Pradeep Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 55, Issue 28 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2010.08.035	journal	December 2010
The stability of illuminated p-GaInP2 semiconductor photoelectrode Wang, Heli; Deutsch, Todd; Welch, Adam International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 37, Issue 19 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.07.052	journal	October 2012
Application and modeling of an integrated amorphous silicon tandem based device for solar water splitting Urbain, Félix; Smirnov, Vladimir; Becker, Jan-Philipp Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 140 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2015.04.013	journal	September 2015
Record-high solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency based on a monolithic all-silicon triple-junction IBC solar cell Nordmann, S.; Berghoff, B.; Hessel, A. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 191 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2018.11.004	journal	March 2019
Diffusion of silicon in titanium dioxide thin films with different degree of crystallinity: Efficiency of TiO2 and TiN barrier layers Libardi, J.; Grigorov, K. G.; Massi, M. Vacuum, Vol. 128 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vacuum.2016.03.031	journal	June 2016
Molybdenum Disulfide as a Protection Layer and Catalyst for Gallium Indium Phosphide Solar Water Splitting Photocathodes Britto, Reuben J.; Benck, Jesse D.; Young, James L. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Vol. 7, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b00563	journal	May 2016
General Strategy for the Synthesis of Transition Metal Phosphide Films for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen and Oxygen Evolution Read, Carlos G.; Callejas, Juan F.; Holder, Cameron F. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 8, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b02352	journal	May 2016
Efficient Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution on Silicon Photocathodes Interfaced with Nanostructured NiP ₂ Cocatalyst Films Chen, Fengjiao; Zhu, Qishan; Wang, Yeyun ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 8, Issue 45 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b11197	journal	November 2016
Efficient and Stable Silicon Photocathodes Coated with Vertically Standing Nano-MoS ₂ Films for Solar Hydrogen Production Fan, Ronglei; Mao, Jie; Yin, Zhihao ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 9, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b15854	journal	February 2017
Charge Transfer Characterization of ALD-Grown TiO ₂ Protective Layers in Silicon Photocathodes Ros, Carles; Andreu, Teresa; Hernández-Alonso, María Dolores ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 9, Issue 21 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.7b02996	journal	May 2017
Climbing the Volcano of Electrocatalytic Activity while Avoiding Catalyst Corrosion: Ni ₃ P, a Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalyst Stable in Both Acid and Alkali Laursen, Anders B.; Wexler, Robert B.; Whitaker, Marianna J. ACS Catalysis, Vol. 8, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.7b04466	journal	April 2018
Monolithic Photoelectrochemical Device for Direct Water Splitting with 19% Efficiency Cheng, Wen-Hui; Richter, Matthias H.; May, Matthias M. ACS Energy Letters, Vol. 3, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.8b00920	journal	June 2018
Impact of Light-Induced Degradation on the Performance of Multijunction Thin-Film Silicon-Based Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting Devices Urbain, Félix; Smirnov, Vladimir; Becker, Jan-Philipp ACS Omega, Vol. 1, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.6b00259	journal	November 2016
Artificial Photosynthesis: Solar Splitting of Water to Hydrogen and Oxygen Bard, Allen J.; Fox, Marye Anne Accounts of Chemical Research, Vol. 28, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/ar00051a007	journal	March 1995
Solar Water Splitting Cells Walter, Michael G.; Warren, Emily L.; McKone, James R. Chemical Reviews, Vol. 110, Issue 11, p. 6446-6473 https://doi.org/10.1021/cr1002326	journal	November 2010
Recent Development of Molybdenum Sulfides as Advanced Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Yan, Ya; Xia, BaoYu; Xu, Zhichuan ACS Catalysis, Vol. 4, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1021/cs500070x	journal	April 2014
Using TiO ₂ as a Conductive Protective Layer for Photocathodic H ₂ Evolution Seger, Brian; Pedersen, Thomas; Laursen, Anders B. Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 135, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1021/ja309523t	journal	January 2013
Photoelectrochemical Tandem Cells for Solar Water Splitting Prévot, Mathieu S.; Sivula, Kevin The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Vol. 117, Issue 35 https://doi.org/10.1021/jp405291g	journal	July 2013
Iron-Treated NiO as a Highly Transparent p-Type Protection Layer for Efficient Si-Based Photoanodes Mei, Bastian; Permyakova, Anastasia A.; Frydendal, Rasmus The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Vol. 5, Issue 20 https://doi.org/10.1021/jz501872k	journal	September 2014
Conducting MoS ₂ Nanosheets as Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Voiry, Damien; Salehi, Maryam; Silva, Rafael Nano Letters, Vol. 13, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1021/nl403661s	journal	November 2013
Ni ₁₂ P ₅ Nanoparticles as an Efficient Catalyst for Hydrogen Generation via Electrolysis and Photoelectrolysis Huang, Zhipeng; Chen, Zhibo; Chen, Zhongzhong ACS Nano, Vol. 8, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1021/nn5022204	journal	July 2014
Electrochemical Photolysis of Water at a Semiconductor Electrode Fujishima, Akira; Honda, Kenichi Nature, Vol. 238, Issue 5358, p. 37-38 https://doi.org/10.1038/238037a0	journal	July 1972
Advances in crystalline silicon solar cell technology for industrial mass production Saga, Tatsuo NPG Asia Materials, Vol. 2, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1038/asiamat.2010.82	journal	July 2010
Upscaling of integrated photoelectrochemical water-splitting devices to large areas Turan, Bugra; Becker, Jan-Philipp; Urbain, Félix Nature Communications, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12681	journal	September 2016
Solar water splitting by photovoltaic-electrolysis with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency over 30% Jia, Jieyang; Seitz, Linsey C.; Benck, Jesse D. Nature Communications, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13237	journal	October 2016
Direct solar-to-hydrogen conversion via inverted metamorphic multi-junction semiconductor architectures Young, James L.; Steiner, Myles A.; Döscher, Henning Nature Energy, Vol. 2, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2017.28	journal	March 2017
H2 evolution at Si-based metal–insulator–semiconductor photoelectrodes enhanced by inversion channel charge collection and H spillover Esposito, Daniel V.; Levin, Igor; Moffat, Thomas P. Nature Materials, Vol. 12, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3626	journal	May 2013
A source of energetic electrons Nebel, Christoph E. Nature Materials, Vol. 12, Issue 9 https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3714	journal	June 2013
Efficient hydrogen evolution catalysis using ternary pyrite-type cobalt phosphosulphide Cabán-Acevedo, Miguel; Stone, Michael L.; Schmidt, J. R. Nature Materials, Vol. 14, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4410	journal	September 2015
Insight on Tafel slopes from a microkinetic analysis of aqueous electrocatalysis for energy conversion Shinagawa, Tatsuya; Garcia-Esparza, Angel T.; Takanabe, Kazuhiro Scientific Reports, Vol. 5, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/srep13801	journal	September 2015
Nanocrystalline Ni ₅ P ₄ : a hydrogen evolution electrocatalyst of exceptional efficiency in both alkaline and acidic media Laursen, A. B.; Patraju, K. R.; Whitaker, M. J. Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 8, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1039/C4EE02940B	journal	January 2015
NiP ₂ nanosheet arrays supported on carbon cloth: an efficient 3D hydrogen evolution cathode in both acidic and alkaline solutions Jiang, Ping; Liu, Qian; Sun, Xuping Nanoscale, Vol. 6, Issue 22 https://doi.org/10.1039/C4NR04866K	journal	January 2014
Hollow and porous titanium nitride nanotubes as high-performance catalyst supports for oxygen reduction reaction Pan, Zhanchang; Xiao, Yonghao; Fu, Zhenggao Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 2, Issue 34 https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TA02402H	journal	January 2014
Efficient titanium nitride/titanium oxide composite photoanodes for dye-sensitized solar cells and water splitting Li, Chun-Ting; Li, Sie-Rong; Chang, Ling-Yu Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 3, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1039/C4TA05606J	journal	January 2015
Silicon nanowire arrays coupled with cobalt phosphide spheres as low-cost photocathodes for efficient solar hydrogen evolution Bao, Xiao-Qing; Fatima Cerqueira, M.; Alpuim, Pedro Chemical Communications, Vol. 51, Issue 53 https://doi.org/10.1039/C5CC02331A	journal	January 2015
Designing an improved transition metal phosphide catalyst for hydrogen evolution using experimental and theoretical trends Kibsgaard, Jakob; Tsai, Charlie; Chan, Karen Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 8, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1039/C5EE02179K	journal	January 2015
Multijunction Si photocathodes with tunable photovoltages from 2.0 V to 2.8 V for light induced water splitting Urbain, Félix; Smirnov, Vladimir; Becker, Jan-Philipp Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 9, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1039/C5EE02393A	journal	January 2016
Solar-to-hydrogen efficiency: shining light on photoelectrochemical device performance Döscher, H.; Young, J. L.; Geisz, J. F. Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 9, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1039/C5EE03206G	journal	January 2016
Photoelectrochemical hydrogen production on silicon microwire arrays overlaid with ultrathin titanium nitride Choi, Sung Kyu; Chae, Weon-Sik; Song, Bokyung Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 4, Issue 36 https://doi.org/10.1039/C6TA05200B	journal	January 2016
A prototype reactor for highly selective solar-driven CO ₂ reduction to synthesis gas using nanosized earth-abundant catalysts and silicon photovoltaics Urbain, Félix; Tang, Pengyi; Carretero, Nina M. Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 10, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1039/C7EE01747B	journal	January 2017
A review on exergy comparison of hydrogen production methods from renewable energy sources Christopher, Koroneos; Dimitrios, Rovas Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 5, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1039/c2ee01098d	journal	January 2012
Molybdenum sulfides—efficient and viable materials for electro - and photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen evolution Laursen, Anders B.; Kegnæs, Søren; Dahl, Søren Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 5, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1039/c2ee02618j	journal	January 2012
Silicon protected with atomic layer deposited TiO2: conducting versus tunnelling through TiO2 Seger, Brian; Tilley, S. David; Pedersen, Thomas Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 1, Issue 47 https://doi.org/10.1039/c3ta12309j	journal	January 2013
Low‐temperature processing of titanium nitride films by laser physical vapor deposition Biunno, N.; Narayan, J.; Hofmeister, S. K. Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 54, Issue 16 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.101338	journal	April 1989
Cobalt silicide layers on Si. I. Structure and growth van Gurp, G. J.; Langereis, C. Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 46, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.321451	journal	October 1975
JANAF Thermochemical Tables, 1982 Supplement Chase, M. W.; Curnutt, J. L.; Downey, J. R. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, Vol. 11, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.555666	journal	July 1982
Powering the planet: Chemical challenges in solar energy utilization Lewis, N. S.; Nocera, D. G. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 103, Issue 43, p. 15729-15735 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0603395103	journal	October 2006
Numerical investigation of CO ₂ laser heating for annealing Ni/Ti multilayer thin films He, Q.; Huang, W. M.; Gao, X. Y. Smart Materials and Structures, Vol. 14, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1088/0964-1726/14/6/024	journal	October 2005
Plasmonic properties of refractory titanium nitride Catellani, Alessandra; Calzolari, Arrigo Physical Review B, Vol. 95, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.95.115145	journal	March 2017
Nickel-Silicide:Carbon Contact Technology for N-Channel MOSFETs With Silicon–Carbon Source/Drain Lee, Rinus T. P.; Yang, Li-Tao; Liow, Tsung-Yang IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 29, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1109/LED.2007.910793	journal	January 2008
Chemical bonding and reactions at Ti/Si and Ti/oxygen/Si interfaces Butz, R.; Rubloff, G. W.; Ho, P. S. Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 1, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1116/1.571997	journal	April 1983
Cleaning the Air and Improving Health with Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles Jacobson, M. Z. Science, Vol. 308, Issue 5730 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1109157	journal	June 2005
Amorphous TiO2 coatings stabilize Si, GaAs, and GaP photoanodes for efficient water oxidation Hu, S.; Shaner, M. R.; Beardslee, J. A. Science, Vol. 344, Issue 6187 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1251428	journal	May 2014
Combining theory and experiment in electrocatalysis: Insights into materials design Seh, Zhi Wei; Kibsgaard, Jakob; Dickens, Colin F. Science, Vol. 355, Issue 6321 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad4998	journal	January 2017
Investigation of Polycrystalline Nickel Silicide Films as a Gate Material Qin, Ming; Poon, Vincent M. C.; Ho, Stephen C. H. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 148, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1149/1.1362551	journal	January 2001

Cited By (3)

Efficiency and stability of narrow-gap semiconductor-based photoelectrodes Zheng, Jianyun; Zhou, Huaijuan; Zou, Yuqin Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 12, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1039/c9ee00524b	journal	January 2019
Highly efficient and durable III–V semiconductor-catalyst photocathodes via a transparent protection layer Hwang, Shinjae; Young, James L.; Mow, Rachel Sustainable Energy & Fuels, Vol. 4, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1039/c9se01264h	journal	January 2020
Photoelectrochemical cells for solar hydrogen production: Challenges and opportunities Chiu, Yi-Hsuan; Lai, Ting-Hsuan; Kuo, Ming-Yu APL Materials, Vol. 7, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5109785	journal	August 2019

Similar Records

Electrochemical Reduction Properties of Extended Space Charge InGaP and GaP Epitaxial Layers

Journal Article · 2016 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society · OSTI ID:1370006

Parameshwaran, Vijay; Xu, Xiaoqing; Clemens, Bruce

Phosphorus-Rich Colloidal Cobalt Diphosphide (CoP₂) Nanocrystals for Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution

Journal Article · 2019 · Advanced Materials · OSTI ID:1511912

Li, Hui; Wen, Peng; Itanze, Dominique S.; +6 more

Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production (Final Report)

Technical Report · 2013 · OSTI ID:1111421

Madan, Arun; Hu, Jian

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
chemistry
energy & fuels
hydrogen evolution
materials science
nickel phosphide
passivation layer
photoelectrochemical water splitting
titanium nitride
ultra-thin film

Title: Creating stable interfaces between reactive materials: titanium nitride protects photoabsorber–catalyst interface in water-splitting photocathodes

Citation Formats

References (63)

Cited By (3)

Similar Records

Related Subjects