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Nonfullerene Bulk Heterojunction‐Based Photocathodes for Highly Efficient Solar Hydrogen Production in Acidic and Neutral Solutions
Author(s) -
Shi Wenwen,
Li Deng,
Fan Wenjun,
Ma Jiangping,
Li Chunhua,
Yu Wei,
Shi Jingying,
Li Can
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202003399
Subject(s) - photocathode , photocurrent , materials science , electrolyte , polymer solar cell , heterojunction , energy conversion efficiency , tandem , hydrogen production , hydrogen , acceptor , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , electrode , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , composite material , condensed matter physics , electron
Highly efficient photocathode with onset potential beyond 0.6 V is very desirable in order to construct photoelectrochemical (PEC) device for stand‐alone overall water splitting. In this work, it is reported a nonfullerene PBDB‐T:ITIC bulk heterojunction (BHJ) based photocathode delivering unprecedented positive onset potential of 0.8 V and optimal photocurrent density of −11.7 mA cm −2 at 0 V in pH 1 solution. The yielded high ideal ratiometric power‐saved efficiency (Φ saved,ideal ) of 4.1% is a record among the previous organic photocathodes. When the electrolyte pH moves to neutral, the Φ saved,ideal is still to be 3.2%, yet being twice more than the currently reported highest value. Pairing with TiO x , the hole transport layer of CuO x with more efficient charge carrier transportation and hole extraction ability excels MoO 3 and NiO x , contributing to the highly efficient solar hydrogen production in both acidic and neutral solutions. Premixing the BHJ blend precursor with an anti‐oxidative agent is proved to be a beneficial strategy to improve the PEC stability by suppressing the photo‐oxidation degradation of organic polymer materials. Subsequently a conceptual PEC cell comprising of tandem CuO x /BHJ/TiO x /Pt photocathode and BiVO 4 /NiFeO x photoanode with a high solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency up to 1.1% is fabricated in neutral solution without assistance of extra bias.