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Lee HC, Park JH, In SI, Yang J. Recent advances in photoelectrochemical hydrogen production using I-III-VI quantum dots. NANOSCALE 2024. [PMID: 38683106 DOI: 10.1039/d4nr01040j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, recognized for its potential in producing solar hydrogen through clean and sustainable methods, has gained considerable interest, particularly with the utilization of semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs). This minireview focuses on recent advances in PEC hydrogen production using I-III-VI semiconductor QDs. The outstanding optical and electrical properties of I-III-VI QDs, which can be readily tuned by modifying their size, composition, and shape, along with an inherent non-toxic nature, make them highly promising for PEC applications. The performance of PEC devices using these QDs can be enhanced by various strategies, including ligand modification, defect engineering, doping, alloying, and core/shell heterostructure engineering. These approaches have notably improved the photocurrent densities for hydrogen production, achieving levels comparable to those of conventional heavy-metal-based counterparts. Finally, this review concludes by addressing the present challenges and future prospects of these QDs, underlining crucial steps for their practical applications in solar hydrogen production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyo Cheol Lee
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea.
| | - Ji Hye Park
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea.
| | - Su-Il In
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea.
- Energy Science and Engineering Research Center, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiwoong Yang
- Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea.
- Energy Science and Engineering Research Center, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
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Li F, Dong B, Yu L, Jin X, Huang Q. Construction of Photothermo-Electro Coupling Field Based on Surface Modification of Hydrogenated TiO 2 Nanotube Array Photoanode and Its Improved Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. Inorg Chem 2024; 63:1175-1187. [PMID: 38165740 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c03604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Solar water splitting has gained increasing attention in converting solar energy into green hydrogen energy. However, the construction of a photothermo-electro coupling field by harnessing light-induced heat and its enhancement on solar water splitting were seldom studied. Herein, we developed a full-spectrum responsive photoanode by depositing CdxZn1-xS onto the surface of hydrogenated TiO2 nanotube array (H-TNA), followed by modification with Ni2P. The resulting ternary photoanode exhibits a photocurrent density of 4.99 mA·cm-2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE with photoinduced heating, which is 11.9-fold higher than that of pristine TNA, with an optimal ABPE of 2.47%. The characterization results demonstrate that the ternary photoanode possesses superior full-spectrum absorption and efficient photogenerated carrier separation driven by the interface electric fields. Additionally, Ni2P reduces the hole injection barrier and increases surface active sites, accelerating the consumption of holes accumulating on the relatively unstable CdxZn1-xS to simultaneously improve the activity and stability of water splitting. Moreover, temperature-dependent measurements reveal that H-TNA and Ni2P significantly motivate the photothermal conversion to construct a photothermo-electro coupling field, optimizing photoelectric conversion and charge carrier-induced surface reactions. This work contributes to understanding the synergistic effect of the photothermo-electro coupling field on the photoelectrochemical water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Li
- School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China
| | - Bo Dong
- School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China
| | - Lintao Yu
- School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China
| | - Xiaoli Jin
- School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China
| | - Qunzeng Huang
- School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China
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Hassan A, Komal Zafar H, Shahid Ashraf R, Arfan M, Rezaul Karim M, Wahab MA, Sohail M. Ferrocene-Boosted Nickel Sulfide Nanoarchitecture for Enhanced Alkaline Water Splitting. Chem Asian J 2024:e202301051. [PMID: 38216532 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202301051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Enhanced electrocatalysts that are cost-effective, durable, and derived from abundant resources are imperative for developing efficient and sustainable electrochemical water-splitting systems to produce hydrogen. Therefore, the design and development of non-noble-based catalysts with more environmentally sustainable alternatives in efficient alkaline electrolyzers are important. This work reports ferrocene (Fc)-incorporated nickel sulfide nanostructured electrocatalysts (Fc-NiS) using a one-step facile solvothermal method for water-splitting reactions. Fc-NiS exhibited exceptional electrocatalytic activity under highly alkaline conditions, evident from its peak current density of 345 mA cm-2 , surpassing the 153 mA cm-2 achieved by the pristine nickel sulfide (NiS) catalysts. Introducing ferrocene enhances electrical conductivity and facilitates charge transfer during water-splitting reactions, owing to the inclusion of iron metal. Fc-NiS exhibits a very small overpotential of 290 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 50.46 mV dec-1 , indicating its superior charge transfer characteristics for the three-electron transfer process involved in water splitting. This outstanding electrocatalytic performance is due to the synergistic effects embedded within the nanoscale architecture of Fc-NiS. Furthermore, the Fc-NiS catalyst also shows a stable response for the water-splitting reactions. It maintains a steady current density with an 87% retention rate for 25 hours of continuous operation, indicating its robustness and potential for prolonged electrolysis processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abeera Hassan
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Hafiza Komal Zafar
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Raja Shahid Ashraf
- Department of Chemistry, Government College University, Katchery Road, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Arfan
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Mohammad Rezaul Karim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia
| | - Md A Wahab
- Energy and Process Engineering Laboratory, School of Mechanical, Medical, and Process Engineering, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Manzar Sohail
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
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Shmila T, Mondal S, Barzilai S, Karjule N, Volokh M, Shalom M. Boron and Sodium Doping of Polymeric Carbon Nitride Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2303602. [PMID: 37344993 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202303602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Polymeric carbon nitride is a promising photoanode material for water-splitting and organic transformation-based photochemical cells. Despite achieving significant progress in performance, these materials still exhibit low photoactivity compared to inorganic photoanodic materials because of a moderate visible light response, poor charge separation, and slow oxidation kinetics. Here, the synthesis of a sodium- and boron-doped carbon nitride layer with excellent activity as a photoanode in a water-splitting photoelectrochemical cell is reported. The new synthesis consists of the direct growth of carbon nitride (CN) monomers from a hot precursor solution, enabling control over the monomer-to-dopant ratio, thus determining the final CN properties. The introduction of Na and B as dopants results in a dense CN layer with a packed morphology, better charge separation thanks to the in situ formation of an electron density gradient, and an extended visible light response up to 550 nm. The optimized photoanode exhibits state-of-the-art performance: photocurrent densities with and without a hole scavenger of about 1.5 and 0.9 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), and maximal external quantum efficiencies of 56% and 24%, respectively, alongside an onset potential of 0.3 V.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tirza Shmila
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel
| | - Sanjit Mondal
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel
| | - Shmuel Barzilai
- Department of Chemistry, Nuclear Research Centre-Negev, P.O. Box 9001, Beer-Sheva, 84910, Israel
| | - Neeta Karjule
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel
| | - Michael Volokh
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel
| | - Menny Shalom
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel
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