Engineering Cu2O Nanowire Surfaces for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution ReactionShow others and affiliations
2023 (English)In: ACS Applied Energy Materials, E-ISSN 2574-0962, Vol. 6, no 2, p. 832-840Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Cu2O is a narrow band gap material serving as an important candidate for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction. However, the main challenge that hinders its practical exploitation is its poor photostability, due to its oxidation into CuO by photoexcited holes. Here, we thoroughly minimize the photo-oxidation of Cu2O nanowires by growing a thin layer of the TiO2 protective layer and an amorphous layer of the VOx cocatalyst using magnetron sputtering and atomic layer deposition, respectively. After optimization of the protective and the cocatalyst layers, the photoelectrode exhibits a current density of −2.46 mA/cm2 under simulated sunlight (100 mW/cm2) at 0.3 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, and its performance is stable for an extended illumination time. The chemical stability and the good performance of the engineered photoelectrode demonstrate the potential of using earth-abundant materials as a light-harvesting device for solar hydrogen production.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Chemical Society , 2023. Vol. 6, no 2, p. 832-840
Keywords [en]
atomic layer deposition, Cu2O photoelectrode, magnetron deposition, photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution, water splitting
National Category
Materials Chemistry
Research subject
Experimental Physics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-95364DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.2c03122ISI: 000908364800001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85146159928OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-95364DiVA, id: diva2:1729854
Funder
The Kempe FoundationsLuleå University of TechnologyKnut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
Note
Validerad;2023;Nivå 2;2023-01-23 (joosat);
Funder: ICMATE-CNR (B93C22000630006); Swedish Foundations
2023-01-232023-01-232023-01-23Bibliographically approved