Solar water splitting exceeding 10% efficiency vialow-cost Sb 2Se 3photocathodes coupled with semitransparent perovskite photovoltaics

Author(s): Wooseok Yang ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ ^, ⁵ , Jaemin Park ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Hyeok-Chan Kwon ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Oliver S. Hutter ⁶ ^, ⁷ ^, ⁸ ^, ⁹ ^, ¹⁰ , Laurie J. Phillips ¹¹ ^, ¹² ^, ¹³ ^, ¹⁴ ^, ¹⁰ , Jeiwan Tan ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Hyungsoo Lee ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , Junwoo Lee ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴ , S. David Tilley ⁵ ^, ¹⁵ ^, ¹⁶ ^, ¹⁷ , Jonathan D. Major ¹¹ ^, ¹² ^, ¹³ ^, ¹⁴ ^, ¹⁰ , Jooho Moon ¹ ^, ² ^, ³ ^, ⁴

Publication date (Electronic): 2020

Journal: Energy & Environmental Science

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

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Abstract

Judicious balancing of photon utilization between semitransparent nanopillar perovskite solar cells and multilayer Sb ₂Se ₃photocathodes enables high efficiency water splitting with good stability.

Abstract

Solar water splitting directly converts solar energy into H ₂fuel that is suitable for storage and transport. To achieve a high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency, elaborate strategies yielding a high photocurrent in a tandem configuration along with sufficient photovoltage should be developed. We demonstrated highly efficient solar water splitting devices based on emerging low-cost Sb ₂Se ₃photocathodes coupled with semitransparent perovskite photovoltaics. A state-of-the-art Sb ₂Se ₃photocathode exhibiting efficient long-wavelength photon harvesting enabled by judicious selection of junction layers was employed as a bottom absorber component. The top semitransparent photovoltaic cells, i.e., parallelized nanopillar perovskites using an anodized aluminum oxide scaffold, allowed the transmittance, photocurrent, and photovoltage to be precisely adjusted by changing the filling level of the perovskite layer in the scaffold. The optimum tandem device, in which similar current values were allocated to the top and bottom cells, achieved an STH conversion efficiency exceeding 10% by efficiently utilizing a broad range of photons at wavelength over 1000 nm.

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Efficient solar water splitting by enhanced charge separation in a bismuth vanadate-silicon tandem photoelectrode.

Fatwa Abdi, Lihao Han, Arno Smets … (2013)

Metal oxides are generally very stable in aqueous solutions and cheap, but their photochemical activity is usually limited by poor charge carrier separation. Here we show that this problem can be solved by introducing a gradient dopant concentration in the metal oxide film, thereby creating a distributed n(+)-n homojunction. This concept is demonstrated with a low-cost, spray-deposited and non-porous tungsten-doped bismuth vanadate photoanode in which carrier-separation efficiencies of up to 80% are achieved. By combining this state-of-the-art photoanode with an earth-abundant cobalt phosphate water-oxidation catalyst and a double- or single-junction amorphous Si solar cell in a tandem configuration, stable short-circuit water-splitting photocurrents of ~4 and 3 mA cm(-2), respectively, are achieved under 1 sun illumination. The 4 mA cm(-2) photocurrent corresponds to a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 4.9%, which is the highest efficiency yet reported for a stand-alone water-splitting device based on a metal oxide photoanode.

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Toward practical solar hydrogen production – an artificial photosynthetic leaf-to-farm challenge

Jin Kim, Dharmesh Hansora, Pankaj Sharma … (2019)

This review provides insight into the different aspects and challenges associated with the realization of sustainable solar hydrogen production systems on a practical large scale. Solar water splitting is a promising approach to transform sunlight into renewable, sustainable and green hydrogen energy. There are three representative ways of transforming solar radiation into molecular hydrogen, which are the photocatalytic (PC), photoelectrochemical (PEC), and photovoltaic–electrolysis (PV–EC) routes. Having the future perspective of green hydrogen economy in mind, this review article discusses devices and systems for solar-to-hydrogen production including comparison of the above solar water splitting systems. The focus is placed on a critical assessment of the key components needed to scale up PEC water splitting systems such as materials efficiency, cost, elemental abundancy, stability, fuel separation, device operability, cell architecture, and techno-economic aspects of the systems. The review follows a stepwise approach and provides (i) a summary of the basic principles and photocatalytic materials employed for PEC water splitting, (ii) an extensive discussion of technologies, procedures, and system designs, and (iii) an introduction to international demonstration projects, and the development of benchmarked devices and large-scale prototype systems. The task of scaling up of laboratory overall water splitting devices to practical systems may be called “an artificial photosynthetic leaf-to-farm challenge”.