CaltechAUTHORS
Published October 29, 2015 | Version public
Journal Article Metadata-only

Thin-Film Materials for the Protection of Semiconducting Photoelectrodes in Solar-Fuel Generators

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis
  • 2. ROR icon Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • 3. ROR icon Cornell University
  • 4. ROR icon Lehigh University

Abstract

The electrochemical instability of semiconductors in aqueous electrolytes has impeded the development of robust sunlight-driven water-splitting systems. We review the use of protective thin films to improve the electrochemical stability of otherwise unstable semiconductor photoelectrodes (e.g., Si and GaAs). We first discuss the origins of instability and various strategies for achieving stable and functional photoelectrosynthetic interfaces. We then focus specifically on the use of thin protective films on photoanodes and photocathodes for photosynthetic reactions that include oxygen evolution, halide oxidation, and hydrogen evolution. Finally, we provide an outlook for the future development of thin-layer protection strategies to enable semiconductor-based solar-driven fuel production.

Additional Information

© 2015 American Chemical Society. Received: June 22, 2015. Revised: September 25, 2015. Publication Date (Web): September 28, 2015. NCS acknowledges start-up funds from Lehigh University. JRM acknowledges a postdoctoral research award from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy through the SunShot Initiative. SH, NSL, JWA, and JY were supported by the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub, supported through the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Award Number DE-SC0004993, and NSL was also supported by the National Science Foundation under Award Number CHE-1214152, the Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-FG02-03ER15483, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation under Award Number GBMF1225. The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Additional details

Identifiers

Eprint ID
61557
DOI
10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b05976
Resolver ID
CaltechAUTHORS:20151027-111752059

Funding

Lehigh University
Department of Energy (DOE)
DE-SC0004993
Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP)
NSF
CHE-1214152
Department of Energy (DOE)
DE-FG02-03ER15483
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
GBMF1225

Dates

Created
2015-10-27
Created from EPrint's datestamp field
Updated
2021-11-10
Created from EPrint's last_modified field

Caltech Custom Metadata

Caltech groups
Kavli Nanoscience Institute , JCAP