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Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution under Simulated Sunlight from Neutral Electrolytes on (ZnSe) 0.85 (CuIn 0.7 Ga 0.3 Se 2 ) 0.15 Photocathodes Prepared by a Bilayer Method
Author(s) -
Kaneko Hiroyuki,
Minegishi Tsutomu,
Nakabayashi Mamiko,
Shibata Naoya,
Domen Kazunari
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201609202
Subject(s) - photocathode , photocurrent , bilayer , electrolyte , monolayer , hydrogen , photoelectrochemical cell , photoelectrochemistry , materials science , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , water splitting , electron , optoelectronics , electrochemistry , nanotechnology , membrane , electrode , biochemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , chromatography , catalysis , photocatalysis
A (ZnSe) 0.85 (CuIn 0.7 Ga 0.3 Se 2 ) 0.15 photocathode with a bilayer structure was fabricated and found to exhibit a photocurrent almost twice that of a photocathode with a monolayer structure during hydrogen evolution from water. The cathodic photocurrent reached maximum values of 12 and 4.9 mA cm −2 at 0 and 0.6 V RHE in a neutral phosphate buffer under simulated sunlight, while the half‐cell solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion efficiency was 3.0 % at 0.6 V RHE , with a maximum value of 3.6 % at 0.45 V RHE . Cross‐sectional mapping of the electron‐beam‐induced current established that the increased photocurrent can be attributed to improved uniformity at the solid–liquid junction in the bilayer sample, which results in enhanced carrier collection.