50 ideas to change science: Artificial life

Importance of Oxygen Measurements during Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting Reactions

“…In pursuit of clean and renewable energy sources, harvesting solar energy has been recognized as the most sustainable route. − However, the diffuse and intermittent nature of the solar energy reduces the overall dependency and utilization. , A potential solution for maximum utilization of solar energy is to directly convert it into storable fuels in terms of chemical bonds (such as hydrogen from water). − In this context, solar-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising approach that can potentially commercialize hydrogen production from renewables. , Since the demonstration of PEC water oxidation on an n-type rutile TiO 2 semiconductor electrode by Honda–Fujishima in the early 1970s, PEC water splitting on various semiconducting materials has been widely studied. ,, A large fraction of technologically important semiconductors such as Si and other III–Vs are not capable of driving unassisted (without bias) PEC water splitting due to their limited photovoltage produced by light illumination. Hence, it is important to utilize series-connected or tandem light-absorbing devices to achieve the photovoltage of ∼1.7–1.8 V that is required to perform unassisted PEC water-splitting reaction.…”