A modular device for large area integrated photoelectrochemical water-splitting as a versatile tool to evaluate photoabsorbers and catalysts

Becker, Jan‐Philipp; Turan, Bugra; Smirnov, Vladimir; Welter, Katharina; Urbain, Félix; Wolff, Johannes; Haas, Sabine; Finger, F.

doi:10.1039/c6ta10688a

Cited by 47 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…With regard to the practical application of these photocathodes in large‐scale devices, silicon‐based materials have been shown to be scalable, especially for chemically modified and fabricated single‐junction photocathodes, as demonstrated recently by Becker et al . and Turan et al …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photoelectrochemical Characterisation on Surface‐Inverted Black Silicon Photocathodes by Using Platinum/Palladium Co‐catalysts for Solar‐to‐Hydrogen Conversion

2018

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Black silicon (bSi) has recently captured research attention in photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) conversion devices. Because nanostructuring of silicon retains the photovoltaic attributes of the material, it also provides a range of excellent physicochemical properties, such as a vast active‐site‐rich electrochemical interface, owing to a high aspect ratio, and important light‐scattering attributes, which significantly improve photoconversion. One method to gain control over p‐type bSi interface energetics is surface inversion of the p‐type interface by phosphorus doping to introduce a shallow n+‐emitter layer, which provides a thin p–n junction at the interface of the nanostructures. Although this concept has been suggested in the literature, it has not been demonstrated experimentally for a platinum/palladium co‐catalysed bSi photocathode device for STH conversion. Herein, preliminary investigations and proof‐of‐concept studies are reported for the fabrication and PEC characterisation of surface‐inverted p‐type bSi photocathodes prepared by wet chemical etching. The PEC tests on p‐bSi|n+ photocathodes show that, for both metal nanoparticles (Pt and Pd), the catalytic activity for proton conversion is increased; this is evident from an anodic shift in the onset potentials shifts to 0.24 and 0.29 V and an increase in photocurrent by 9 and 13.8 mA cm−2, respectively, at 0 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode, as a result of introducing the emitter layer.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photoelectrochemical Characterisation on Surface‐Inverted Black Silicon Photocathodes by Using Platinum/Palladium Co‐catalysts for Solar‐to‐Hydrogen Conversion

2018

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“…In this context, a range of challenges need to be met by the solar cell, catalysts, protection layers, device design, and electrical engineering. These have recently been investigated . Additionally, if multi‐junction based PV‐EC devices are to be used outdoors, the prevailing conditions, such as temperature, intensity, and spectral composition, play a major role in the device efficiency …”

Section: Multi‐junction Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells For Water Splitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Multi‐junction Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells For Water Splitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon Thin Films: Functional Materials for Energy, Healthcare, and IT Applications

Reynolds

Welter

Smirnov

2019

Physica Status Solidi (a)

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The authors review selected topics in the development of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H), from its emergence some 50 years ago to its present status as a mature thin‐film semiconductor, with market successes including flat‐panel displays, solar modules, and x‐ray scanners. By altering process gas mixtures and deposition conditions, films with a range of atomic, structural, and amorphous/crystalline phase compositions may be deposited, offering tunable bandgap, refractive index, and light‐scattering properties. Films thus “functionalized” have greatly increased scope and utility. Three emerging applications are reported, and more extensive sections on two topics of current importance are presented: 1) Multi‐junction thin film silicon solar cells for water splitting applications; and 2) thin‐film silicon solar cells on flexible substrates.

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“…So far, STH efficiencies of over 10 % have been reported for other types of photoelectrodes as well, but these types face stability issues (e. g. perovskite solar cells) or are rather expensive, such as e. g. III−V semiconductors . Therefore, thin film silicon is a promising approach for integrated PV‐EC devices, since silicon is earth abundant, low cost and nontoxic and the technology is upscalable …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Operation Temperature and Variations of the Illumination on the Performance of Integrated Photoelectrochemical Water‐Splitting Devices

et al. 2017

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Renewable and storable fuel hydrogen can be produced through light‐driven water splitting using photovoltaic‐biased electrosynthetic (PV‐EC) devices. The required voltage to drive the reaction is approximately 1.5 V, which can be provided using multi‐junction silicon solar cells. To generate these voltages at the operation point, the solar cells are electrically optimized with respect to the standard test conditions. However, if such devices were to be used outdoors, a wide range of different illumination conditions has to be considered. Herein, we discuss the dependence of the solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency on the spectral quality, the incident illumination intensity and the operation temperature. It is found that in the case of high irradiation intensities (e. g. 1 sun), high operation temperatures reduce the PV performance, but the overall PV‐EC device performance remains almost unchanged due to improved kinetics in the EC part. In contrast, when the illumination intensity is reduced, the loss in PV performance cannot be compensated by improved EC performances due to higher temperatures.

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A modular device for large area integrated photoelectrochemical water-splitting as a versatile tool to evaluate photoabsorbers and catalysts

Abstract: We present a stand-alone integrated solar water-splitting device with an active area of 64 cm2 and a long-term stable operation. The modular setup of the device provides a versatile tool to integrate and evaluate various combinations of photoelectrodes and catalysts.

Cited by 47 publications

References 44 publications

Photoelectrochemical Characterisation on Surface‐Inverted Black Silicon Photocathodes by Using Platinum/Palladium Co‐catalysts for Solar‐to‐Hydrogen Conversion

Photoelectrochemical Characterisation on Surface‐Inverted Black Silicon Photocathodes by Using Platinum/Palladium Co‐catalysts for Solar‐to‐Hydrogen Conversion

Silicon Thin Films: Functional Materials for Energy, Healthcare, and IT Applications

The Influence of Operation Temperature and Variations of the Illumination on the Performance of Integrated Photoelectrochemical Water‐Splitting Devices

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