Tandem cells for unbiased photoelectrochemical water splitting

Abstract

This review describes the fundamentals of PEC tandem cells and the current status of optimised photoelectrodes for PEC tandem cells. The challenges and perspectives of tandem cells for unbiased PEC water splitting are discussed.

Review of Laser-Based Surface Nanotexturing for Enhanced Light Absorption and Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

“…In the PEC tandem device, a p-type photocathode and n-type photoanode are used as light absorption electrodes to produce hydrogen (water oxidization) and oxygen (water reduction), respectively. 46 A tandem cell based on III−V semiconducting materials has shown good water splitting performance with 12.4% efficiency. 47 Recently, solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies of 19.3% in acidic and 18.5% in neutral electrolytes have been achieved using a monolithic photocathode device architecture.…”

“…Hence the concept of dual-absorber tandem systems was developed without any external bias. In the PEC tandem device, a p-type photocathode and n-type photoanode are used as light absorption electrodes to produce hydrogen (water oxidization) and oxygen (water reduction), respectively . A tandem cell based on III–V semiconducting materials has shown good water splitting performance with 12.4% efficiency .…”

Synergistic Coupling of Charge Extraction and Sinking in Cu5FeS4/Ni3S2@NF for Photoassisted Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution

“…The effective integration of electricity and light energy can greatly weaken the thermodynamic and kinetic barriers of OER, in which the traditional photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell has shown great advantage in terms of effective separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes and subsequent participation in the redox reactions. , However, the low photoelectric conversion efficiency and the high cost of device manufacturing in PECs hinder their large-scale development . Recently, photoassisted electrocatalysis (P-EC) that fully utilizes solar energy to reduce electric energy consumption has gradually aroused great interest and been widely applied in several fields , such as the hydrogen evolution reaction, OER, carbon dioxide reduction, supercapacitors, and zinc-air batteries, in which the photogenerated charge carriers can efficiently enhance the intrinsic activity of the electrocatalysts. − P-EC mainly depends on the synergistic catalysis of the photo- and electroactive components .…”

Surface Confinement of FeNiCo Nanoparticles by Bicontinuous Conductive Networks toward Overall Water Splitting

“…The energy and environmental crisis caused by the excessive utilization of fossil fuels has become increasingly serious, which deviates from the sustainable development concept. − Hydrogen production by electrocatalytic water splitting, especially coupled with renewable energy, can avoid shortcomings of traditional fossil fuel-based hydrogen production methods and achieve zero carbon emission. − However, the complex reaction pathways, high energy barrier, and sluggish reaction kinetics in electrolysis process greatly increase the energy consumption, while the different reaction activity laws of the cathode and anode also increase the difficulty in coupling the water electrolysis devices. − Therefore, the development of low-value and high-efficiency electrocatalysts is crucial. Although commercial noble-metal-based electrodes, such as Pt and IrO 2 , possess high activity, their high-value and elemental scarcity still hinder the large-scale application.…”