Atomically dispersed iridium catalysts on silicon photoanode for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting

Abstract

Stabilizing atomically dispersed single atoms (SAs) on silicon photoanodes for photoelectrochemical-oxygen evolution reaction is still challenging due to the scarcity of anchoring sites. Here, we elaborately demonstrate the decoration of iridium SAs on silicon photoanodes and assess the role of SAs on the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. NiO/Ni thin film, an active and highly stable catalyst, is capable of embedding the iridium SAs in its lattices by locally modifying the electronic structure. The isolated iridium SAs enable the effective photogenerated charge transport by suppressing the charge recombination and lower the thermodynamic energy barrier in the potential-determining step. The Ir SAs/NiO/Ni/ZrO2/n-Si photoanode exhibits a benchmarking photoelectrochemical performance with a high photocurrent density of 27.7 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode and 130 h stability. This study proposes the rational design of SAs on silicon photoelectrodes and reveals the potential of the iridium SAs to boost photogenerated charge carrier kinetics.

FeCoNiCuIr High-Entropy Alloy Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions with Improved Desorption Behavior by Tuning Antibonding Orbital Filling

“…In Figure g, a significant brightness variance of atoms can be seen in the particles, suggesting that atoms of different elements constitute the lattice. The atoms emphasized by the yellow circle appear particularly bright compared to the surrounding atoms and are presumed to be Ir . TEM–energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) elemental mapping images of FeCoNiCuIr in Figure h also confirm the uniform FCC structure without forming independent phases with a uniform distribution of the five elements.…”

Halide perovskite photovoltaic-electrocatalysis for solar fuel generation

“…Also, It can be used to design catalysts with high mass-normalized efficiency by dramatically reducing the scale and amount of the catalyst. 177 As shown in the STEM EDS map (Fig. 9e), Pt nanoclusters were anchored at the surface of TiC nanowires on CC.…”

Exploring CuBi2O4 as a Promising Photocathode Material for PEC Water Splitting

“…The related plane (211) to a lattice fringes is in good agreement with the D-CBO XRD plane. We conducted Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) analyses of D-CBO with planes matching well with reported interdisciplinary distance …”

“…We conducted Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) analyses of D-CBO with planes matching well with reported interdisciplinary distance. 67 PEC Studies. In this study, photocathode CBO films were fabricated using drop-casting, hydrothermal, and electrodeposition methods, namely D-CBO, H-CBO, and E-CBO respectively.…”