Graphite-protected CsPbBr<sub>3</sub> perovskite photoanodes functionalised with water oxidation catalyst for oxygen evolution in water.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31068590.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-10124-0 and PMC identifier 6506520.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Metal-halide perovskites have been widely investigated in the photovoltaic sector due to their promising optoelectronic properties and inexpensive fabrication techniques based on solution processing. Here we report the development of inorganic CsPbBr<sub>3</sub>-based photoanodes for direct photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution from aqueous electrolytes. We use a commercial thermal graphite sheet and a mesoporous carbon scaffold to encapsulate CsPbBr<sub>3</sub> as an inexpensive and efficient protection strategy. We achieve a record stability of 30 h in aqueous electrolyte under constant simulated solar illumination, with currents above 2 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> at 1.23 V<sub>RHE</sub>. We further demonstrate the versatility of our approach by grafting a molecular Ir-based water oxidation catalyst on the electrolyte-facing surface of the sealing graphite sheet, which cathodically shifts the onset potential of the composite photoanode due to accelerated charge transfer. These results suggest an efficient route to develop stable halide perovskite based electrodes for photoelectrochemical solar fuel generation.