Tin Oxide as a Protective Heterojunction with Silicon for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation in Strongly Acidic or Alkaline Electrolytes

Ivan A. Moreno-Hernandez; Bruce S. Brunschwig; Nathan S. Lewis

doi:10.1002/aenm.201801155

Tin Oxide as a Protective Heterojunction with Silicon for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation in Strongly Acidic or Alkaline Electrolytes

Ivan A. Moreno-Hernandez, Bruce S. Brunschwig, Nathan S. Lewis

California Institute of Technology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Photoelectrodes without a p–n junction are often limited in efficiency by charge recombination at semiconductor surfaces and slow charge transfer to electrocatalysts. This study reports that tin oxide (SnO_x) layers applied to n-Si wafers after forming a thin chemically oxidized SiO_x layer can passivate the Si surface while producing ≈620 mV photovoltage under 100 mW cm⁻² of simulated sunlight. The SnO_x layer makes ohmic contacts to Ni, Ir, or Pt films that act as precatalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 m KOH(aq) or 1.0 m H₂SO₄(aq). Ideal regenerative solar-to-O₂(g) efficiencies of 4.1% and 3.7%, respectively, are obtained in 1.0 m KOH(aq) with Ni or in 1.0 m H₂SO₄(aq) with Pt/IrO_x layers as OER catalysts. Stable photocurrents for >100 h are obtained for electrodes with patterned catalyst layers in both 1.0 m KOH(aq) and 1.0 m H₂SO₄(aq).

Original language	English
Article number	1801155
Journal	Advanced Energy Materials
Volume	8
Issue number	24
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201801155
Publication status	Published - Aug 27 2018

Keywords

heterojunctions
photoanodes
photoelectrochemistry
water oxidation
water splitting

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Materials Science(all)

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title = "Tin Oxide as a Protective Heterojunction with Silicon for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation in Strongly Acidic or Alkaline Electrolytes",

abstract = "Photoelectrodes without a p–n junction are often limited in efficiency by charge recombination at semiconductor surfaces and slow charge transfer to electrocatalysts. This study reports that tin oxide (SnOx) layers applied to n-Si wafers after forming a thin chemically oxidized SiOx layer can passivate the Si surface while producing ≈620 mV photovoltage under 100 mW cm−2 of simulated sunlight. The SnOx layer makes ohmic contacts to Ni, Ir, or Pt films that act as precatalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 m KOH(aq) or 1.0 m H2SO4(aq). Ideal regenerative solar-to-O2(g) efficiencies of 4.1% and 3.7%, respectively, are obtained in 1.0 m KOH(aq) with Ni or in 1.0 m H2SO4(aq) with Pt/IrOx layers as OER catalysts. Stable photocurrents for >100 h are obtained for electrodes with patterned catalyst layers in both 1.0 m KOH(aq) and 1.0 m H2SO4(aq).",

keywords = "heterojunctions, photoanodes, photoelectrochemistry, water oxidation, water splitting",

author = "Moreno-Hernandez, {Ivan A.} and Brunschwig, {Bruce S.} and Lewis, {Nathan S.}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported through the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under award no. DE-SC0004993 to the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub. I.A.M.-H. acknowledges a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. DGE-1144469. The authors thank C. Garland for assistance with transmission-electron microscopy.",

year = "2018",

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AU - Moreno-Hernandez, Ivan A.

AU - Brunschwig, Bruce S.

AU - Lewis, Nathan S.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported through the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under award no. DE-SC0004993 to the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, a DOE Energy Innovation Hub. I.A.M.-H. acknowledges a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. DGE-1144469. The authors thank C. Garland for assistance with transmission-electron microscopy.

PY - 2018/8/27

Y1 - 2018/8/27

N2 - Photoelectrodes without a p–n junction are often limited in efficiency by charge recombination at semiconductor surfaces and slow charge transfer to electrocatalysts. This study reports that tin oxide (SnOx) layers applied to n-Si wafers after forming a thin chemically oxidized SiOx layer can passivate the Si surface while producing ≈620 mV photovoltage under 100 mW cm−2 of simulated sunlight. The SnOx layer makes ohmic contacts to Ni, Ir, or Pt films that act as precatalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 m KOH(aq) or 1.0 m H2SO4(aq). Ideal regenerative solar-to-O2(g) efficiencies of 4.1% and 3.7%, respectively, are obtained in 1.0 m KOH(aq) with Ni or in 1.0 m H2SO4(aq) with Pt/IrOx layers as OER catalysts. Stable photocurrents for >100 h are obtained for electrodes with patterned catalyst layers in both 1.0 m KOH(aq) and 1.0 m H2SO4(aq).

AB - Photoelectrodes without a p–n junction are often limited in efficiency by charge recombination at semiconductor surfaces and slow charge transfer to electrocatalysts. This study reports that tin oxide (SnOx) layers applied to n-Si wafers after forming a thin chemically oxidized SiOx layer can passivate the Si surface while producing ≈620 mV photovoltage under 100 mW cm−2 of simulated sunlight. The SnOx layer makes ohmic contacts to Ni, Ir, or Pt films that act as precatalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 m KOH(aq) or 1.0 m H2SO4(aq). Ideal regenerative solar-to-O2(g) efficiencies of 4.1% and 3.7%, respectively, are obtained in 1.0 m KOH(aq) with Ni or in 1.0 m H2SO4(aq) with Pt/IrOx layers as OER catalysts. Stable photocurrents for >100 h are obtained for electrodes with patterned catalyst layers in both 1.0 m KOH(aq) and 1.0 m H2SO4(aq).

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KW - water splitting

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