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Cu 2 O Photocathode with Faster Charge Transfer by Fully Reacted Cu Seed Layer to Enhance Performance of Hydrogen Evolution in Solar Water Splitting Applications
Author(s) -
Jung Kichang,
Lim Taehoon,
Bae Hyojung,
Ha JunSeok,
MartinezMorales Alfredo A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemcatchem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.497
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1867-3899
pISSN - 1867-3880
DOI - 10.1002/cctc.201900526
Subject(s) - photocurrent , photocathode , layer (electronics) , electrolyte , materials science , photoelectrochemistry , water splitting , hydrogen , reversible hydrogen electrode , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical engineering , electrochemistry , electrode , chemistry , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , catalysis , photocatalysis , working electrode , electron , biochemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , chromatography , engineering
In this work, we study the effect of Cu 2 O film obtained from a fully reacted Cu seed layer as a photoelectrode in photoelectrochemical cells. The full reaction of the Cu layer shows an enhanced photocurrent density and improved efficiency in hydrogen evolution. The photocurrent density of textured Cu 2 O (0.58 mA cm −2 at 0 V vs. RHE), without an unreacted Cu layer is two times higher than films containing an unreacted Cu layer (0.29 mA cm −2 at 0 V vs. RHE), under AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW cm −2 ). The thickness of the unreacted Cu layer influences significantly the charge transfer process at the interface between the Cu 2 O and electrolyte. The enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of textured Cu 2 O is attributed to the reduced charge recombination resulting from a longer carrier lifetime in the Cu 2 O layer. Experimentally we confirmed that the unreacted Cu layer inhibits the photoelectrochemical performance of Cu 2 O‐based photocathodes. The elimination of the unreacted Cu layer leads to higher photocurrent density.