Photoelectrochemical response of Au-decorated CuBi2O4 photocathode in bicarbonate solution

Lee, Wonhee; Kang, Jinseok; Park, Hyun S.; Nam, Ki Min; Cho, Sung Ki

doi:10.1016/j.jelechem.2019.02.055

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…[ 1,2 ] Its reported bandgap energy of ≈1.8 eV is suitable to harvest a substantial portion of the visible solar spectrum, [ 3,4 ] whereas its conduction‐band minimum is located at a more negative potential than the reduction potential of H + /H 2 , enabling solar H 2 production, [ 5 ] and presumably also reduction of CO 2 . [ 6–8 ] Additionally, CuBi 2 O 4 has the prospect to generate a relatively large internal photovoltage with a valence‐band maximum that lies at more positive potentials than those of other photocathode materials (i.e., Cu‐based oxides, p‐Si, and p‐GaP). Moreover, CuBi 2 O 4 exhibits an unusually positive photocurrent onset potential near +1 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode potential (RHE), which makes CuBi 2 O 4 an ideal candidate as a top absorber in a tandem PEC device.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pure CuBi₂O₄ Photoelectrodes with Increased Stability by Rapid Thermal Processing of Bi₂O₃/CuO Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Gottesman

Song

Levine

et al. 2020

Adv Funct Materials

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A new method for enhancing the charge separation and photo-electrochemical stability of CuBi 2 O 4 photoelectrodes by sequentially depositing Bi 2 O 3 and CuO layers on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates with pulsed laser deposition (PLD), followed by rapid thermal processing (RTP), resulting in phasepure, highly crystalline films after 10 min at 650 °C, is reported. Conventional furnace annealing of similar films for 72 h at 500 °C do not result in phasepure CuBi 2 O 4 . The combined PLD and RTP approach allow excellent control of the Bi:Cu stoichiometry and results in photoelectrodes with superior electronic properties compared to photoelectrodes fabricated through spray pyrolysis. The low photocurrents of the CuBi 2 O 4 photocathodes fabricated through PLD/RTP in this study are primarily attributed to their low specific surface area, lack of CuO impurities, and limited, slow charge transport in the undoped films. Bare (without protection layers) CuBi 2 O 4 photoelectrodes made with PLD/RTP shows a photocurrent decrease of only 26% after 5 h, which represents the highest stability reported to date for this material. The PLD/RTP fabrication approach offers new possibilities of fabricating complex metal oxides photoelectrodes with a high degree of crystallinity and good electronic properties at higher temperatures than the thermal stability of glass-based transparent conductive substrates would allow.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pure CuBi₂O₄ Photoelectrodes with Increased Stability by Rapid Thermal Processing of Bi₂O₃/CuO Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Gottesman

Song

Levine

et al. 2020

Adv Funct Materials

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“…The core-level XPS spectrum of the Cu 2p acquired from the IO-CBO-3 material is presented in Figure b, which has two major peaks at the binding energies of 934.56 and 954.2 eV that are related to Cu 2p 3/2 and Cu 2p 1/2 , respectively . The Bi 4f core-level XPS spectrum in Figure c has two major peaks at binding energies of 158.3 and 164.1 eV that correspond to Bi 4f 7/2 and Bi 4f 5/2 , respectively . The XPS core-level O 1s spectrum (Figure d) has one major peak at a binding energy of 531.6 eV, which is related to oxygen defects .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…20 The Bi 4f core-level XPS spectrum in Figure 3c has two major peaks at binding energies of 158.3 and 164.1 eV that correspond to Bi 4f 7/2 and Bi 4f 5/2 , respectively. 21 The XPS core-level O 1s spectrum (Figure 3d) has one major peak at a binding energy of 531.6 eV, which is related to oxygen defects. 22 Based on the above results, the Cu is in a +2 oxidation state, while the Bi is in a +3 oxidation state.…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inverse Opal CuBi₂O₄ Photocathodes for Robust Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Kim

2022

ACS Appl. Energy Mater.

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In general, p-type CuBi2O4 (CBO) photocathodes demonstrate excellent solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies but have low quantum yields near the band-edge region (i.e., above 600 nm), which substantially impedes achieving photocurrent densities that match the theoretical values. This is the main obstacle in the construction of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting cells. To overcome this difficulty, we fabricated inverse opal-like structured CBO (IO-CBO) photocathodes using a layered self-assembly approach. The fabricated photocathodes have an interconnected macroporous structure that supports enhanced visible-light-harvesting capabilities and improves intrinsic charge-carrier transport properties. Optimized IO-CBO cathodes exhibit a high photocurrent density of 2.95 mA cm–2 at 0.6 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode with stability over 2 h of operation. Furthermore, IO-CBO cathodes have exceptional near-band-edge photon harvesting and quantum yields of 15% at 600 nm, which is unprecedented for CuBi2O4-type photocathodes. We believe that the present work promotes the application of ternary-based nanostructures in solar-driven hydrogen production.

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“…However, the development of viable, simple photoelectrochemical tandem cells is hindered by difficulties in finding efficient, stable, and inexpensive photocathodes. 10,11 In this regard, several binary and ternary metal oxides, such as CuO (E g = 1.0 eV), 12,13 Cu 2 O (E g = 2.1 eV), 14,15 CaFe 2 O 4 (E g = 1.9 eV), 16,17 CuBi 2 O 4 (E g = 1.8 eV), 18,19 and CuFeO 2 (E g = 1.5 eV), 20,21 can behave as p-type semiconductors. However, none of them meets the criteria to be considered as practical photocathodes in water-splitting devices (chemical photostability in aqueous environments, efficient light absorption, and low cost).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photoelectrochemical Behavior and Computational Insights for Pristine and Doped NdFeO₃ Thin-Film Photocathodes

Quiñonero

Ferrández-Pastor

Orts

et al. 2021

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Among the different strategies that are being developed to solve the current energy challenge, harvesting energy directly from sunlight through a tandem photoelectrochemical cell (water splitting) is most attractive. Its implementation requires the development of stable and efficient photocathodes, NdFeO 3 being a suitable candidate among ternary oxides. In this study, transparent NdFeO 3 thin-film photocathodes have been successfully prepared by a citric acid-based sol−gel procedure, followed by thermal treatment in air at 640°C. These electrodes show photocurrents for both the hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions. Doping with Mg 2+ and Zn 2+ has been observed to significantly enhance the photoelectrocatalytic performance of NdFeO 3 toward oxygen reduction. Magnesium is slightly more efficient as a dopant than Zn, leading to a multiplication of the photocurrent by a factor of 4−5 for a doping level of 5 at % (with respect to iron atoms). This same trend is observed for hydrogen evolution. The beneficial effect of doping is primarily attributed to an increase in the density and a change in the nature of the majority charge carriers. DFT calculations help to rationalize the behavior of NdFeO 3 by pointing to the importance of nanostructuring and doping. All in all, NdFeO 3 has the potential to be used as a photocathode in photoelectrochemical applications, although efforts should be directed to limit surface recombination.

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Photoelectrochemical response of Au-decorated CuBi2O4 photocathode in bicarbonate solution

Cited by 21 publications

References 25 publications

Pure CuBi₂O₄ Photoelectrodes with Increased Stability by Rapid Thermal Processing of Bi₂O₃/CuO Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Pure CuBi₂O₄ Photoelectrodes with Increased Stability by Rapid Thermal Processing of Bi₂O₃/CuO Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Inverse Opal CuBi₂O₄ Photocathodes for Robust Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Photoelectrochemical Behavior and Computational Insights for Pristine and Doped NdFeO₃ Thin-Film Photocathodes

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Photoelectrochemical response of Au-decorated CuBi2O4 photocathode in bicarbonate solution

Cited by 21 publications

References 25 publications

Pure CuBi2O4 Photoelectrodes with Increased Stability by Rapid Thermal Processing of Bi2O3/CuO Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Pure CuBi2O4 Photoelectrodes with Increased Stability by Rapid Thermal Processing of Bi2O3/CuO Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Inverse Opal CuBi2O4 Photocathodes for Robust Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Photoelectrochemical Behavior and Computational Insights for Pristine and Doped NdFeO3 Thin-Film Photocathodes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Pure CuBi₂O₄ Photoelectrodes with Increased Stability by Rapid Thermal Processing of Bi₂O₃/CuO Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Pure CuBi₂O₄ Photoelectrodes with Increased Stability by Rapid Thermal Processing of Bi₂O₃/CuO Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Inverse Opal CuBi₂O₄ Photocathodes for Robust Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Photoelectrochemical Behavior and Computational Insights for Pristine and Doped NdFeO₃ Thin-Film Photocathodes