Stable Hydrogen Production from Water on an NIR‐Responsive Photocathode under Harsh Conditions
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting using a cell composed of a photocathode and photoanode is an attractive approach to producing hydrogen utilizing solar energy. Photocathodes based on nonoxide materials exhibit high solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiencies thanks to their narrow bandgaps. However, the corrosion of photocathode surfaces at oxidative potentials and under highly alkaline conditions has resulted in insufficient durability. Here, the PEC properties of near‐infrared‐sensitive (ZnSe)0.85(CuIn0.7Ga0.3Se2)0.15‐based photocathodes coated with a RuO2 nanolayer using a photo‐electrodeposition method are investigated under harsh conditions. A RuO2‐coated (ZnSe)0.85(CuIn0.7Ga0.3Se2)0.15 photocathode exhibits no degradation during the PEC hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at 0.6 VRHE for longer than 10 h in electrolytes having pH values of 7 or 13. Maximum photocurrents of 9.1 and 2.9 mA cm−2 are obtained at 0 and 0.6 VRHE, respectively, under simulated sunlight without the use of any other HER catalyst or a conductor layer. This study therefore demonstrates a useful method for the fabrication of efficient, durable PEC cells using nonoxide photocathodes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Mar 26, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1002/smtd.201800018
Entities
People
- Hiroyuki Kaneko
- Kazunari Dōmen
- Mamiko Nakabayashi
- Naoya Shibata
- Tomohiro Higashi
- Tsutomu Minegishi
Organizations
- Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- University of Tokyo