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Hole‐Storage Enhanced a‐Si Photocathodes for Efficient Hydrogen Production
Author(s) -
Zhang Doudou,
Du Minyong,
Wang Pengpeng,
Wang Hui,
Shi Wenwen,
Gao Yuying,
Karuturi Siva,
Catchpole Kylie,
Zhang Jian,
Fan Fengtao,
Shi Jingying,
Liu Shengzhong
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202100078
Subject(s) - photocathode , photocurrent , faraday efficiency , water splitting , reversible hydrogen electrode , hydrogen production , photoelectrochemical cell , silicon , materials science , amorphous silicon , hydrogen , layer (electronics) , hydrogen storage , electrolyte , electrode , chemical engineering , chemistry , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , catalysis , crystalline silicon , working electrode , photocatalysis , physics , electron , engineering , biochemistry , quantum mechanics , organic chemistry
Abstract Ferrihydrite (Fh) has been demonstrated as an effective interfacial layer for photoanodes to achieve outstanding photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance for water oxidation reaction owing to its unique hole‐storage function. However, it is unknown whether such a hole‐storage layer can be used to construct highly efficient photocathodes for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, we report Fh interfacial engineering of amorphous silicon photocathode (with nickel as HER cocatalyst) achieving a photocurrent density of 15.6 mA cm −2 at 0 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode and a half‐cell energy conversion efficiency of 4.08 % in alkaline solution, outperforming most of reported a‐Si based photocathodes including multi‐junction configurations integrated with noble metal cocatalysts in acid solution. Besides, the photocurrent density is maintained above 14 mA cm −2 for 175 min with 100 % Faradaic efficiency for HER in alkaline solution. Our results demonstrate a feasible approach to construct efficient photocathodes via the application of a hole‐storage layer.