Vapor-fed photoelectrolysis of water at 0.3 V using gas-diffusion photoanodes of SrTiO₃ layers

Abstract

A proton exchange membrane (PEM) system using a SrTiO3 gas-diffusion photoanode achieves vapor-fed photoelectrolysis of water at an applied voltage of 0.3 V.

A Macroporous-Structured WO3/Mo-Doped BiVO4 Photoanode for Vapor-Fed Water Splitting under Visible Light Irradiation

“…In the PEM-PEC system, we have reported that the coating of Nafion ionomer thin layers is critical for the PEC performance of the macroporous photoanodes such as TiO 2 and SrTiO 3 in the gaseous environment without an aqueous electrolyte. [8][9][10]12 Figure 8a shows the effect of Nafion ionomer treatment on the cyclic voltammetry curves of Ti/WO 3 /Mo-BiV in the vapor-fed water-splitting reaction. In the absence of the Nafion ionomer coating, Ti/WO 3 /Mo-BiV exhibited poor photoresponse in the completely gaseous condition.…”

“…The other role of the ionomer layer is absorbing water molecules from the gas phase to enhance the hydration of the electrode surface. 11,12 For this reason, the presence of the Nafion ionomer coating promotes photoelectrolysis of water supplied from the gas phase.…”

“…Humidified argon gases with 3 vol % water vapor were continuously supplied to the dual compartments at a flow rate of 20 mL min –1 . In the PEM-PEC system, we have reported that the coating of Nafion ionomer thin layers is critical for the PEC performance of the macroporous photoanodes such as TiO 2 and SrTiO 3 in the gaseous environment without an aqueous electrolyte. − , …”

“…For this reason, a gas-phase reaction has been proposed as an alternative to the aqueous electrolyte solution due to the inexhaustible supply of water vapor over the sea . The vapor-fed water photoelectrolysis requires the use of macroporous-structured semiconductor electrodes and a proton-exchange membrane (PEM) as a solid polymer electrolyte. − However, the absence of electrolyte usually diminished the photocurrent in the gas-phase environment. The PEC activity depends on the reaction conditions, such as the presence of liquid water and the type of electrolyte.…”

Improving all ternary small-molecule organic solar cells by optimizing short wavelength photon harvesting and exciton dissociation based on a bisadduct analogue of [70]PCBM as a third component material

“…This work demonstrates the importance of morphology control in ternary lms, and that higher performance can be achieved by selecting appropriate materials to yield an ideal ternary photoactive layer morphology. 37…”