A Stable and Efficient Photocathode Using an Sb₂S₃ Absorber in a Near-Neutral Electrolyte for Water Splitting

Abstract

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) is a one-dimensional semiconductor stacking (Sb4S6) n ribbons with van der Waals force, which shows anisotropic features along different orientations. Controlling the grain orientation is an efficient strategy to enhance the PEC performance of Sb2S3 photocathodes. Here, we successfully fabricated a photocathode employing Sb2S3 as an absorber material with [hk1] orientation, which is suitable for sufficiently harvesting sunlight and efficient solar energy conversion. After sequentially depositing n-type CdS as a buffer layer, TiO2, and Pt, the completed Sb2S3-based photocathode yielded a record-high photocurrent density of −6.0 mA cm–2 at 0 V versus RHE in a near-neutral electrolyte (pH = 6.0) and an onset potential of +0.5 VRHE. In the stability testing, it could maintain ∼92% of the initial photocurrent density of 5.3 mA cm–2 after the continuous illumination of 60 min. Our experimental investigation confirmed that Sb2S3 is indeed a promising light-absorbing material for water splitting, which will promote further developments of Sb2S3-based photocathodes.

Photo-Sono Interfacial Engineering Exciting the Intrinsic Property of Herbal Nanomedicine for Rapid Broad-Spectrum Bacteria Killing

“…The preferential crystal orientation of CuS in CuS and CuS/Cur samples was appealed by texture coefficient C (hkl) , which was calculated by eq , where C (hkl) represented the texture coefficient, I (hkl) was the experimental peak intensity of the (hkl) plane, I 0 was the reference peak intensity of the same (hkl) plane from the standard pattern, and N was the total number of diffraction peaks considered for the calculation. The relative information was obtained in Table S1.…”

“…Texture Coefficient. The preferential crystal orientation of CuS in CuS and CuS/Cur samples was appealed by texture coefficient C (hkl) , which was calculated by eq 6 40,41 C hkl…”

Sb2S3/TiO2 Heterojunction Photocathodes: Band Alignment and Water Splitting Properties

“…Sb 2 S 3 has been employed as a heterojunction partner for WO 3 and TiO 2 photoanodes for water splitting. , DeAngelis et al reported an Sb 2 S 3 photoanode for water splitting, yielding photocurrent densities exceeding 4 mA cm –2 ; however, very low faradaic efficiencies for oxygen evolution were observed, and hence, the current obtained was primarily due to photocorrosion . Very recently, Wang et al reported an Sb 2 S 3 photocathode using a toxic CdS buffer layer . However, an in depth investigation on the Sb 2 S 3 /buffer layer junction properties and identification of photovoltage loss mechanisms in the Sb 2 S 3 photocathode is lacking.…”

Enabling Solar Hydrogen Production over Selenium: Surface State Passivation and Cocatalyst Decoration

“…Therefore, the typical p-type or n-type semiconductors would act as photocathodes or photoanodes for hydrogen evolution or water oxidation, respectively . Numerous semiconducting materials including elemental silicon, , metal oxides, , sulfides, , and nitrides have been intensively investigated as either a photocathode or a photoanode. Among them, one distinct class of photoelectrode consists of devices fabricated from photovoltaic (PV)-grade materials, such as Cu­(In,Ga)­S 2 , CdTe, Si, or halide perovskites, where the principles of PV cells resemble those of PEC cells.…”