Wittichenite semiconductor of Cu<sub>3</sub>BiS<sub>3</sub> films for efficient hydrogen evolution from solar driven photoelectrochemical water splitting.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 34145243.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-24060-5 and PMC identifier 8213846.
- 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
A highly efficient, low-cost and environmentally friendly photocathode with long-term stability is the goal of practical solar hydrogen evolution applications. Here, we found that the Cu<sub>3</sub>BiS<sub>3</sub> film-based photocathode meets the abovementioned requirements. The Cu<sub>3</sub>BiS<sub>3</sub>-based photocathode presents a remarkable onset potential over 0.9 V<sub>RHE</sub> with excellent photoelectrochemical current densities (~7 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> under 0 V<sub>RHE</sub>) and appreciable 10-hour long-term stability in neutral water solutions. This high onset potential of the Cu<sub>3</sub>BiS<sub>3</sub>-based photocathode directly results in a good unbiased operating photocurrent of ~1.6 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> assisted by the BiVO<sub>4</sub> photoanode. A tandem device of Cu<sub>3</sub>BiS<sub>3</sub>-BiVO<sub>4</sub> with an unbiased solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 2.04% is presented. This tandem device also presents high stability over 20 hours. Ultimately, a 5 × 5 cm<sup>2</sup> large Cu<sub>3</sub>BiS<sub>3</sub>-BiVO<sub>4</sub> tandem device module is fabricated for standalone overall solar water splitting with a long-term stability of 60 hours.