Dye-sensitized
photoelectrochemical (DSPEC) cells are an emerging approach to producing
solar fuels. The recent development of delafossite CuCrO2 as a p-type semiconductor has enabled H2 generation through
the coassembly of catalyst and dye components. Here, we present a
CuCrO2 electrode based on a high-surface-area inverse opal
(IO) architecture with benchmark performance in DSPEC H2 generation. Coimmobilization of a phosphonated diketopyrrolopyrrole
(DPP-P) or perylene monoimide (PMI-P) dye
with a phosphonated molecular Ni catalyst (NiP) demonstrates
the ability of IO-CuCrO2 to photogenerate H2. A positive photocurrent onset potential of approximately +0.8 V
vs RHE was achieved with these photocathodes. The DPP-P-based photoelectrodes delivered photocurrents of −18 μA
cm–2 and generated 160 ± 24 nmol of H2 cm–2, whereas the PMI-P-based photocathodes
displayed higher photocurrents of −25 μA cm–2 and produced 215 ± 10 nmol of H2 cm–2 at 0.0 V vs RHE over the course of 2 h under visible light illumination
(100 mW cm–2, AM 1.5G, λ > 420 nm, 25 °C).
The high performance of the PMI-constructed system is attributed to
the well-suited molecular structure and photophysical properties for
p-type sensitization. These precious-metal-free photocathodes highlight
the benefits of using bespoke IO-CuCrO2 electrodes as well
as the important role of the molecular dye structure in DSPEC fuel
synthesis.