Unassisted solar water splitting with 9.8% efficiency and over 100 h stability based on Si solar cells and photoelectrodes catalyzed by bifunctional Ni–Mo/Ni
[1];
[3]
- Soochow University, Suzhou (China); University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
- McMaster University, Ontario (Canada)
- Soochow University, Suzhou (China)
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Xi'an Jiaotong University (China)
Designing a highly efficient and stable photoelectrochemical (PEC) tandem cell for unassisted solar water splitting is considered a promising approach for large-scale solar energy storage. To date, various tandem device configurations have been reported. However, the achievement of a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency (ηSTH) of 10% is still full of challenges, due to the incompatibility between the two photoelectrode materials. Here, we report a highly efficient and stable photovoltaic (PV)–PEC tandem device composed of a dual Si photoelectrode and two series-connected ordinary Si PV cells. The dual-photoelectrode device consists of an n+np+-Si photocathode and p+pn+-Si photoanode, which allow back illumination from the Si substrate, spatially and functionally decoupling the optical absorption and the catalytic activity. By further employing a Ni protective layer together with a bifunctional Ni–Mo catalyst for both the Si photocathode and photoanode, the PV–PEC tandem cell can perform spontaneous water splitting without any applied bias. A high ηSTH of 9.8% with a stability of over 100 h was achieved in alkaline solution under parallel AM 1.5G 1 sun illumination. Furthermore, this work essentially allows a modular independent optimization of each component which can enhance the efficiency and stability of the PV–PEC cells.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- EE0008086; 51672183; DMR-0723032
- OSTI ID:
- 1984382
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1490766
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Materials Chemistry. A, Vol. 7, Issue 5; ISSN 2050-7488
- Publisher:
- Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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