Computational and Experimental Photonic Structures Light Management Optimization of BiVO4/OPV Tandem PEC/PV Structures Adapted for H2 and CO2R Solar Fuels.

Carles Ros^a, Catarina Ferreira^a, Francisco Bernal^a, Constanza Sansierra^a, Mingyu Zhang^a, Jordi Martorell^a

^aICFO – Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Sitges, Barcelona, España, Sitges, Spain

Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS)
Proceedings of Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MAT-SUS) (NFM22)

#NANOMAT - Advances on the Understanding and Synthesis of Nanomaterials for Photocatalysis and Optoelectronics

Barcelona, Spain, 2022 October 24th - 28th

Organizers: Ludmilla Steier and Daniel Congreve

Contributed talk, Carles Ros, presentation 093
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.nfm.2022.093
Publication date: 11th July 2022

Photoelectrochemical energy conversion from sunlight directly into chemical bonds is a promising path to fabricate alternative solar fuels. But a single semiconductor is not capable to provide enough voltage for the chosen electrochemical reaction and/or to do so with significant productivities. Tandem PEC/PV monolithic devices can generate the necessary voltage meanwhile increasing overall productivity.

BiVO₄, one of the most promising large bandgap (~2.5 eV) photoanode candidates, has been fabricated in tandem with non-fullerene semi-transparent organic (OPV) based thin-film third generation photovoltaics. Although OPVs allow for fine-selection of absorber composition and thus, absorption spectra, the balance is not optimal. Nanophotonic structures are necessary to balance the photon influx to maximize the overall series current in the device.

In this talk we will explain how the many-layers device has been computationally modelled and the nanophotonic structures incorporated, and how the full device has been fabricated and tested at ICFO. The light path for the blue part of the solar spectra has been maximized in the BiVO₄, and the PV part has been adequately selected so that the device provides the necessary voltage for either water splitting or CO₂ reduction. Several parameters have been taking into account in this model, such as the photovoltage loss of the solar cells under reduced photon influx due to the light management.

This many-layers tandem PEC/PV structure can provide >2.5 V of photovoltage and the 1D light management structures have demonstrated 2x increase of the bias-free photocurrent.

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