Achieving Organic Metal Halide Perovskite into a Conventional Photoelectrode: Outstanding Stability in Aqueous Solution and High-Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Abstract

Organic metal halide perovskite material has attracted intense interest in the photovoltaic field due to its excellent optoelectronic properties, but the extreme susceptibility of organolead halide perovskite to water seriously impedes its application for photoelectrochemical (PEC) conversions in aqueous solution. In this work, we develop an organolead halide perovskite photoanode of conventional electrode structure. The perovskite photoanode was fabricated by using a facile approach and encapsulated with conductive carbon paste and silver conductive paint for waterproof function, and the PEC water splitting was carried out as a model of PEC conversion. For PEC water oxidation, the photoanode achieved a remarkable photocurrent density of 12.4 mA/cm 2 at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in alkaline electrolyte. In addition, the as-prepared photoanode of conventional structure exhibited an unprecedented stability, which could be stable in alkaline electrolyte for more than 48 h. More importantly, the photoanode retained a steady-state response in a continuous operation for at least 12 h in electrolyte at a wide pH range. This work opens a promising avenue toward the practical application of organic metal halide perovskite-based photoelectrodes for efficient PEC conversions in aqueous solution.

Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Reaction System Based on Metal-Organic Halide Perovskites

“…In order to minimize degradation by encapsulating the device using bulk material, Crespo-Quesada et al [83], Gao et al [85], and Nam et al [80] devised cells using Field's metal as a passivation layer, and Zhang et al [84] devised a cell using titanium foil as a passivation layer. Conversely, as a method of using compact material deposition, Da et al [79] formed a passivation layer by sputtering ultrathin Ni layers (8 nm), and Tao et al [81] devised a cell using a passivation layer by depositing conductive carbon and silver paste through the doctor blade method. Kim et al [86] formed a passivation layer through the ALD process, and Poli et al [82] devised a stable perovskite-based PEC device using mesoporous carbon and a graphite sheet.…”

“…Tao et al [81] designed a perovskite photoanode device using a commercial conductive carbon paste (CC) and conductive silver paste (SC) as a hole transporting layer and passivation layer, respectively. Perovskite was used as a mixed-cation perovskite (5-AVA) x (MA) 1−x PbI 3 (Figure 5a).…”

“…Although Da et al [79] improved the stability of the photoanode by sputtering ultrathin Ni layers (8 nm), the device showed 56% photocurrent after 100 s through a PEC test in alkaline solution, showing a performance degradation in a short period time. Tao et al [81] designed a photoanode with both high stability and high performance using conductive carbon paste and silver paste. Carbon paste was deposited directly onto the perovskite layer to enable hole transporting and passivation.…”

Photocorrosion at Irradiated Perovskite/Electrolyte Interfaces

“…A mitigation strategy can be the incorporation of additional hydrophobic layer(s) into the structure, that can prolong the stability during PEC operation. 215 , 226 Further protection layers (such as polyethylenimine) were used to prevent the iodide migration to the metal contacts. 221 , 223 − 225…”

Recent Progress in Designing Halide-Perovskite-Based System for the Photocatalytic Applications

“…Further efforts have been made in the following aspects: (I) Catalyst structure design, such as the use of nanoarray structures to improve light absorption and carrier transportation (Sabba et al, 2015 ; Liu et al, 2019 ); (II) Device architecture engineering such as the device encapsulation and surface active sites modification (Nam et al, 2018 ; Ahmad et al, 2019 ; Poli et al, 2019 ; Tao et al, 2019 ); (III) Developing new perovskite material with better stability and performance (Karuturi et al, 2018 ; Ahmad et al, 2019 ; Kim et al, 2019 ; Liu et al, 2019 ; Tao et al, 2019 ); (IV) New compatible catalytic material development such as NiFe or BiVO 4 (Luo et al, 2014 ; Chen et al, 2015 ); and (V) New device fabricating method such as ALD (Gao et al, 2018 ). All of these explorations deserve further and insightful investigations.…”