Water photolysis at 12.3% efficiency via perovskite photovoltaics and Earth-abundant catalysts

Abstract

Although sunlight-driven water splitting is a promising route to sustainable hydrogen fuel production, widespread implementation is hampered by the expense of the necessary photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical apparatus. Here, we describe a highly efficient and low-cost water-splitting cell combining a state-of-the-art solution-processed perovskite tandem solar cell and a bifunctional Earth-abundant catalyst. The catalyst electrode, a NiFe layered double hydroxide, exhibits high activity toward both the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions in alkaline electrolyte. The combination of the two yields a water-splitting photocurrent density of around 10 milliamperes per square centimeter, corresponding to a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 12.3%. Currently, the perovskite instability limits the cell lifetime.

Nickel Hydr(oxy)oxide Nanoparticles on Metallic MoS2 Nanosheets: A Synergistic Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

“…The Tafel slope of 105 mV dec −1 is also larger than that of the 1T‐MoS 2 /Ni 2+ δ O δ (OH) 2− δ (1:1) hybrid. Considering that both 1T‐MoS 2 and mildly oxidized GO have good electrical conductivity and large surface area, the huge difference of HER performance between 1T‐MoS 2 /Ni 2+ δ O δ (OH) 2− δ (1:1) and GO/Ni 2+ δ O δ (OH) 2− δ (1:1) can reasonably exclude the possibility that Ni 2+ δ O δ (OH) 2− δ is the active species for HER in 1T‐MoS 2 /Ni 2+ δ O δ (OH) 2− δ in alkaline media, consistent with the results in previous work 62, 63. Therefore, all the results from the above control experiments indicate that Ni 2+ δ O δ (OH) 2− δ in the 1T‐MoS 2 /Ni 2+ δ O δ (OH) 2− δ hybrids acts as an cocatalyst with 1T‐MoS 2 to facilitate HER in alkaline and neutral electrolytes.…”

Towards Versatile and Sustainable Hydrogen Production through Electrocatalytic Water Splitting: Electrolyte Engineering

“…Similarly, a volcano plot is reported, for example, among the perovskite‐structured oxides, which is correlated with the e g electron 134. Among the oxides composed of earth‐abundant materials, nickel–iron (oxy)hydroxide has been recently reconfirmed as a promising electrode in alkaline media 135, 136, 137, 138. In 2016, superior OER performance was revealed for the Ni–Co–W mixed oxyhydroxide, which requires an overpotential of only 191 mV to reach 10 mA cm −2 in 1.0 mol L −1 NaOH,139 and for Au‐supported NiCeO x , which reaches 10 mA cm −2 at an overpotential of 271 mV in 1.0 mol L −1 NaOH 140…”

Recent Progress in Energy‐Driven Water Splitting

“…In the recent years, great efforts have also been made to develop binary or ternary non‐noble metals or oxides in water oxidation electrocatalysts (e.g. Fe,127 Ni‐Fe,128 Ni‐Co,129 Ni‐Fe‐Co130 and CaMn 4 O x 131) and non‐noble metal oxides, sulfides and phosphides water reduction electrocatalysts (MoO 3–x ,132 WO 2 ,133 WO 3 ,134 MoS 2, 135 WS 2 ,[[qv: 135b]] CoP,136 Co 2 P137 and Ni 2 P[[qv: 137a,138]]) for cost‐competitive electrocatalysis. The non‐noble metal electrocatalysts were also extended to bifunctional types such as TiN@Ni 3 N,139 Ni 3 Se 2 /Ni,140 CoO/CoSe 2 141 and CoMnO@CN142 for both HER and OER in overall water splitting.…”

“…Grätzel et al combined a perovskite tandem solar cell with a bifunctional earth‐abundant NiFe layered double hydroxide catalyst electrode to achieve a solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency of 12.3% ( Figure 14 ). 128 Likewise, smaller band gap materials are generally unstable to photocorrosion in aqueous solution. Moreover, highly acidic or highly alkaline electrolyte is usually used to lower the overpotential with an enhanced chemical corrosion.…”

“…B) A generalized energy schematic of the perovskite tandem cell with NiFe layered double hydroxides/Ni foam electrodes for water splitting. Reproduced with permission 128. Copyright 2014, AAAS.…”