Hybrid organic–inorganic H2-evolving photocathodes: understanding the route towards high performance organic photoelectrochemical water splitting
| Autor: | Sebastiano Bellani, Laura Meda, Alberto Savoini, Francesco Fumagalli, Hansel Comas Rojas, Matthew T. Mayer, Marcel Schreier, Michael Grätzel, Silvia Leonardi, Gabriele Tullii, Gianluigi Marra, Fabio Di Fonzo, Maria Rosa Antognazza, Ali Ghadirzadeh, Guglielmo Lanzani |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Conductive polymer
Photocurrent Materials science Renewable Energy Sustainability and the Environment business.industry Nanotechnology 02 engineering and technology General Chemistry 010402 general chemistry 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Electrocatalyst Solar energy 01 natural sciences Acceptor 0104 chemical sciences Organic semiconductor Semiconductor Water splitting General Materials Science 0210 nano-technology business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 4:2178-2187 |
| ISSN: | 2050-7496 2050-7488 |
| Popis: | A promising, yet challenging, route towards renewable production of hydrogen is the direct conversion of solar energy at a simple and low cost semiconductor/water junction. Despite the theoretical simplicity of such a photoelectrochemical device, different limitations among candidate semiconductor materials have hindered its development. After many decades of research on inorganic semiconductors, a conclusive solution still appears out of reach. Here, we report an efficient hybrid organic–inorganic H2 evolving photocathode, consisting of a donor/acceptor blend sandwiched between charge-selective layers and a thin electrocatalyst layer. The role and stability of the different interfaces are investigated, and the conductive polymer is proven to be an efficient material for a semiconductor/liquid PEC junction. The best performing electrodes show high performances with a photocurrent of 3 mA cm−2 at 0 V vs. RHE, optimal process stability with 100% faradaic efficiency during electrode's lifetime, excellent energetics with +0.67 V vs. RHE onset potential, promising operational activity of several hours and by-design compatibility for implementation in a tandem architecture. This work demonstrates organic semiconductors as a radically new option for efficient direct conversion of solar energy into fuels, and points out the route towards high performance organic photoelectrochemical water splitting. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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