Integrated Photoelectrochemical Systems for Scalable Water Splitting and CO2 Reduction
Virgil Andrei a
a University of Cambridge, Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS)
Proceedings of MATSUS Fall 2023 Conference (MATSUSFall23)
#WATERCAT - Experiment and theory in the catalysis of water electrolysis and hydrogen fuel cells
Torremolinos, Spain, 2023 October 16th - 20th
Organizers: Serhiy Cherevko and Nejc Hodnik
Invited Speaker, Virgil Andrei, presentation 037
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.matsus.2023.037
Publication date: 18th July 2023

Metal halide perovskites have emerged as promising alternatives to commonly employed light absorbers for solar fuel synthesis, enabling unassisted photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting[1,3] and CO2 reduction to syngas.[2,4] While the bare perovskite light absorber is rapidly degraded by moisture, recent developments in the device structure have led to substantial advances in the device stability. Here, we give an overview of the latest progress in perovskite PEC devices, introducing design principles to improve their performance and reliability. For this purpose, we will discuss the role of charge selective layers in increasing the device photocurrent and photovoltage, by fine-tuning the band alignment and enabling efficient charge separation. A further beneficial effect of hydrophobicity is revealed by comparing devices with different hole transport layers (HTLs).[1,3] On the manufacturing side, we will provide new insights into how appropriate encapsulation techniques can extend the device lifetime to a few days under operation in aqueous media.[1,2] To this end, we replace low melting alloys with graphite epoxy paste as a conductive, hydrophobic and low-cost encapsulant.[3,5] These design principles are successfully applied to an underexplored BiOI light absorber, increasing the photocathode stability towards hydrogen evolution from minutes to months.[6] Finally, we take a glance at the next steps required for scalable solar fuels production, showcasing our latest progress in terms of device manufacturing. A suitable choice of materials can decrease the device cost tenfold and expand the device functionality, resulting in flexible, floating artificial leaves.[4] Those materials are compatible with large-scale, automated fabrication processes, which present the most potential towards future real-world applications.[7,8] Similar PEC systems approaching a m2 size can take advantage of the modularity of artificial leaves,[9] whereas thermoelectric generators can further bolster water splitting by utilizing waste heat to provide an additional Seebeck voltage.[10,11]

V.A. is grateful for financial support from St John’s College Cambridge (Title A Research Fellowship) and the Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability.

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