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Toward a Low‐Cost Artificial Leaf: Driving Carbon‐Based and Bifunctional Catalyst Electrodes with Solution‐Processed Perovskite Photovoltaics
Author(s) -
Sharifi Tiva,
Larsen Christian,
Wang Jia,
Kwong Wai Ling,
GraciaEspino Eduardo,
Mercier Guillaume,
Messinger Johannes,
Wågberg Thomas,
Edman Ludvig
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
advanced energy materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.08
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1614-6840
pISSN - 1614-6832
DOI - 10.1002/aenm.201600738
Subject(s) - overpotential , electrocatalyst , materials science , bifunctional , photovoltaics , anode , oxygen evolution , faraday efficiency , cathode , electrode , perovskite (structure) , water splitting , carbon fibers , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , photovoltaic system , catalysis , electrochemistry , composite material , chemistry , electrical engineering , organic chemistry , composite number , engineering , photocatalysis
Molecular hydrogen can be generated renewably by water splitting with an “artificial‐leaf device”, which essentially comprises two electrocatalyst electrodes immersed in water and powered by photovoltaics. Ideally, this device should operate efficiently and be fabricated with cost‐efficient means using earth‐abundant materials. Here, a lightweight electrocatalyst electrode, comprising large surface‐area NiCo 2 O 4 nanorods that are firmly anchored onto a carbon–paper current collector via a dense network of nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotubes is presented. This electrocatalyst electrode is bifunctional in that it can efficiently operate as both anode and cathode in the same alkaline solution, as quantified by a delivered current density of 10 mA cm −2 at an overpotential of 400 mV for each of the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions. By driving two such identical electrodes with a solution‐processed thin‐film perovskite photovoltaic assembly, a wired artificial‐leaf device is obtained that features a Faradaic H 2 evolution efficiency of 100%, and a solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiency of 6.2%. A detailed cost analysis is presented, which implies that the material‐payback time of this device is of the order of 100 days.