A molecular tandem cell for efficient solar water splitting
Abstract
Artificial photosynthesis provides a way to store solar energy in chemical bonds. Achieving water splitting without an applied external potential bias provides the key to artificial photosynthetic devices. We describe here a tandem photoelectrochemical cell design that combines a dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cell (DSPEC) and an organic solar cell (OSC) in a photoanode for water oxidation. When combined with a Pt electrode for H2evolution, the electrode becomes part of a combined electrochemical cell for water splitting, 2H2O → O2+ 2H2, by increasing the voltage of the photoanode sufficiently to drive bias-free reduction of H+to H2. The combined electrode gave a 1.5% solar conversion efficiency for water splitting with no external applied bias, providing a mimic for the tandem cell configuration of PSII in natural photosynthesis. The electrode provided sustained water splitting in the molecular photoelectrode with sustained photocurrent densities of 1.24 mA/cm2for 1 h under 1-sun illumination with no applied bias.
- Authors:
-
[2];
[3];
[4];
[5];
[6];
[2]
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Zhejiang (China); Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
- Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
- Texas Christian Univ., Fort Worth, TX (United States)
- Florida International Univ., Miami, FL (United States)
- Dalian Univ. of Technology (China)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Zhejiang (China)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Florida International Univ. (FIU), Miami, FL (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE); National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1801243
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NE0008539; DMR-1728921; ECCS-1542015
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 117; Journal Issue: 24; Journal ID: ISSN 0027-8424
- Publisher:
- National Academy of Sciences
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY; water splitting; molecular tandem cell; solar fuels; bias-free; organic cell
Citation Formats
Wang, Degao, Hu, Jun, Sherman, Benjamin D., Sheridan, Matthew V., Yan, Liang, Dares, Christopher J., Zhu, Yong, Li, Fei, Huang, Qing, You, Wei, and Meyer, Thomas J. A molecular tandem cell for efficient solar water splitting. United States: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1073/pnas.2001753117.
Wang, Degao, Hu, Jun, Sherman, Benjamin D., Sheridan, Matthew V., Yan, Liang, Dares, Christopher J., Zhu, Yong, Li, Fei, Huang, Qing, You, Wei, & Meyer, Thomas J. A molecular tandem cell for efficient solar water splitting. United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001753117
Wang, Degao, Hu, Jun, Sherman, Benjamin D., Sheridan, Matthew V., Yan, Liang, Dares, Christopher J., Zhu, Yong, Li, Fei, Huang, Qing, You, Wei, and Meyer, Thomas J. Tue .
"A molecular tandem cell for efficient solar water splitting". United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001753117. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1801243.
@article{osti_1801243,
title = {A molecular tandem cell for efficient solar water splitting},
author = {Wang, Degao and Hu, Jun and Sherman, Benjamin D. and Sheridan, Matthew V. and Yan, Liang and Dares, Christopher J. and Zhu, Yong and Li, Fei and Huang, Qing and You, Wei and Meyer, Thomas J.},
abstractNote = {Artificial photosynthesis provides a way to store solar energy in chemical bonds. Achieving water splitting without an applied external potential bias provides the key to artificial photosynthetic devices. We describe here a tandem photoelectrochemical cell design that combines a dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cell (DSPEC) and an organic solar cell (OSC) in a photoanode for water oxidation. When combined with a Pt electrode for H2evolution, the electrode becomes part of a combined electrochemical cell for water splitting, 2H2O → O2+ 2H2, by increasing the voltage of the photoanode sufficiently to drive bias-free reduction of H+to H2. The combined electrode gave a 1.5% solar conversion efficiency for water splitting with no external applied bias, providing a mimic for the tandem cell configuration of PSII in natural photosynthesis. The electrode provided sustained water splitting in the molecular photoelectrode with sustained photocurrent densities of 1.24 mA/cm2for 1 h under 1-sun illumination with no applied bias.},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2001753117},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
number = 24,
volume = 117,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 16 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Tue Jun 16 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}
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