1
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Gelija D, Loka C, Goddati M, Bak NH, Lee J, Kim MD. Integration of Ag Plasmonic Metal and WO 3/InGaN Heterostructure for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023. [PMID: 37452743 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c05141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a Ag/WO3/InGaN hybrid heterostructure was successfully developed by sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy techniques, to obtain unique Ag nanospheres adorned with cauliflower-like WO3 nanostructure over the InGaN nanorods (NRs). Exploiting the localized surface plasmon resonance of Ag, the Ag/WO3/InGaN heterostructure exhibited superior photoabsorption ability in the visible region (400-700 nm) of the solar spectrum, with a surface plasmon resonance band centered around 440 nm. Comprehensive analysis through photoluminescence spectroscopy, photocurrent measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that the Ag/WO3/InGaN hybrid heterostructure significantly enhances the charge carrier separation and transfer kinetics leading to improved overall photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. The photocurrent density of the Ag/WO3/InGaN photoanode is 1.17 mA/cm2, which is about 2.72 times higher than that of pure InGaN NRs under visible light irradiation. The photoanode exhibited excellent stability for about 12 h. From the study, it has been found that the maximum applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE) is ∼1.67% at the applied bias of 0.6 V. The improved PEC water splitting efficiency of the Ag/WO3/InGaN photoanode is attributed to the synergistic effects of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), efficient charge carrier separation and transport, and the presence of a Schottky junction. Consequently, the plasmonic metal-assisted heterojunction-based semiconductor Ag/WO3/InGaN demonstrates immense potential for practical applications in photoelectrochemical water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devarajulu Gelija
- Institute of Quantum Systems (IQS), Chungnam National University, 99, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Chadrasekhar Loka
- Department of Advanced Materials Engineering & Smart Natural Space Research Centre, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, South Korea
| | - Mahendra Goddati
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Na-Hyun Bak
- Department of Physics, Chungnam National University, 99, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaebeom Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Moon-Deock Kim
- Institute of Quantum Systems (IQS), Chungnam National University, 99, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
- Department of Physics, Chungnam National University, 99, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
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2
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Xiao Y, Kong X, Vanka S, Dong WJ, Zeng G, Ye Z, Sun K, Navid IA, Zhou B, Toma FM, Guo H, Mi Z. Oxynitrides enabled photoelectrochemical water splitting with over 3,000 hrs stable operation in practical two-electrode configuration. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2047. [PMID: 37041153 PMCID: PMC10090041 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37754-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Solar photoelectrochemical reactions have been considered one of the most promising paths for sustainable energy production. To date, however, there has been no demonstration of semiconductor photoelectrodes with long-term stable operation in a two-electrode configuration, which is required for any practical application. Herein, we demonstrate the stable operation of a photocathode comprising Si and GaN, the two most produced semiconductors in the world, for 3,000 hrs without any performance degradation in two-electrode configurations. Measurements in both three- and two-electrode configurations suggest that surfaces of the GaN nanowires on Si photocathode transform in situ into Ga-O-N that drastically enhances hydrogen evolution and remains stable for 3,000 hrs. First principles calculations further revealed that the in-situ Ga-O-N species exhibit atomic-scale surface metallization. This study overcomes the conventional dilemma between efficiency and stability imposed by extrinsic cocatalysts, offering a path for practical application of photoelectrochemical devices and systems for clean energy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Xiao
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Xianghua Kong
- Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T8, Canada
| | - Srinivas Vanka
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Wan Jae Dong
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Guosong Zeng
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Zhengwei Ye
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Kai Sun
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, 2300 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Ishtiaque Ahmed Navid
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Baowen Zhou
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Francesca M Toma
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Hong Guo
- Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T8, Canada.
| | - Zetian Mi
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1301 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
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3
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Kang Y, Wang D, Gao Y, Guo S, Hu K, Liu B, Fang S, Memon MH, Liu X, Luo Y, Sun X, Luo D, Chen W, Li L, Jia H, Hu W, Liu Z, Ge B, Sun H. Achieving Record-High Photoelectrochemical Photoresponse Characteristics by Employing Co 3O 4 Nanoclusters as Hole Charging Layer for Underwater Optical Communication. ACS NANO 2023; 17:3901-3912. [PMID: 36753692 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c12175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The physicochemical properties of a semiconductor surface, especially in low-dimensional nanostructures, determine the electrical and optical behavior of the devices. Thereby, the precise control of surface properties is a prerequisite for not only preserving the intrinsic material quality but also manipulating carrier transport behavior for promoting device characteristics. Here, we report a facile approach to suppress the photocorrosion effect while boosting the photoresponse performance of n-GaN nanowires in a constructed photoelectrochemical-type photodetector by employing Co3O4 nanoclusters as a hole charging layer. Essentially, the Co3O4 nanoclusters not only alleviate nanowires from corrosion by optimizing the oxygen evolution reaction kinetics at the nanowire/electrolyte interface but also facilitate an efficient photogenerated carrier separation, migration, and collection process, leading to a significant ease of photocurrent attenuation (improved by nearly 867% after Co3O4 decoration). Strikingly, a record-high responsivity of 217.2 mA W-1 with an ultrafast response/recovery time of 0.03/0.02 ms can also be achieved, demonstrating one of the best performances among the reported photoelectrochemical-type photodetectors, that ultimately allowed us to build an underwater optical communication system based on the proposed nanowire array for practical applications. This work provides a perspective for the rational design of stable nanostructures for various applications in photo- and biosensing or energy-harvesting nanosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Kang
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Danhao Wang
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunzhi Gao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Siqi Guo
- Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Kejun Hu
- Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Boyang Liu
- Platform for Characterization and Test, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Shi Fang
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Muhammad Hunain Memon
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Liu
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanmin Luo
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiyu Sun
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongyang Luo
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Chen
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Liuan Li
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongfeng Jia
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Hu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenghui Liu
- Platform for Characterization and Test, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, People's Republic of China
| | - Binghui Ge
- Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, People's Republic of China
| | - Haiding Sun
- School of Microelectronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, People's Republic of China
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Wireless-Optical Communications, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230029, People's Republic of China
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4
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Noh S, Shin J, Yu YT, Ryu MY, Kim JS. Manipulation of Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting by Controlling Direction of Carrier Movement Using InGaN/GaN Hetero-Structure Nanowires. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:nano13020358. [PMID: 36678111 PMCID: PMC9861914 DOI: 10.3390/nano13020358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We report the improvement in photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) by controlling migration kinetics of photo-generated carriers using InGaN/GaN hetero-structure nanowires (HSNWs) as a photocathode (PC) material. The InGaN/GaN HSNWs were formed by first growing GaN nanowires (NWs) on an Si substrate and then forming InGaN NWs thereon. The InGaN/GaN HSNWs can cause the accumulation of photo-generated carriers in InGaN due to the potential barrier formed at the hetero-interface between InGaN and GaN, to increase directional migration towards electrolyte rather than the Si substrate, and consequently to contribute more to the PEC-WS reaction with electrolyte. The PEC-WS using the InGaN/GaN-HSNW PC shows the current density of 12.6 mA/cm2 at -1 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and applied-bias photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 3.3% at -0.9 V versus RHE. The high-performance PEC-WS using the InGaN/GaN HSNWs can be explained by the increase in the reaction probability of carriers at the interface between InGaN NWs and electrolyte, which was analyzed by electrical resistance and capacitance values defined therein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyun Noh
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehyeok Shin
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon-Tae Yu
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
| | - Mee-Yi Ryu
- Department of Physics, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Soo Kim
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
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5
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Magnetron sputtering growth of AlN film for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11164-022-04797-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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6
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Tunable green syngas generation from CO 2 and H 2O with sunlight as the only energy input. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121174119. [PMID: 35727969 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121174119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The carbon-neutral synthesis of syngas from CO2 and H2O powered by solar energy holds grand promise for solving critical issues such as global warming and the energy crisis. Here we report photochemical reduction of CO2 with H2O into syngas using core/shell Au@Cr2O3 dual cocatalyst-decorated multistacked InGaN/GaN nanowires (NWs) with sunlight as the only energy input. First-principle density functional theory calculations revealed that Au and Cr2O3 are synergetic in deforming the linear CO2 molecule to a bent state with an O-C-O angle of 116.5°, thus significantly reducing the energy barrier of CO2RR compared with that over a single component of Au or Cr2O3. Hydrogen evolution reaction was promoted by the same cocatalyst simultaneously. By combining the cooperative catalytic properties of Au@Cr2O3 with the distinguished optoelectronic virtues of the multistacked InGaN NW semiconductor, the developed photocatalyst demonstrated high syngas activity of 1.08 mol/gcat/h with widely tunable H2/CO ratios between 1.6 and 9.2 under concentrated solar light illumination. Nearly stoichiometric oxygen was evolved from water splitting at a rate of 0.57 mol/gcat/h, and isotopic testing confirmed that syngas originated from CO2RR. The solar-to-syngas energy efficiency approached 0.89% during overall CO2 reduction coupled with water splitting. The work paves a way for carbon-neutral synthesis of syngas with the sole inputs of CO2, H2O, and solar light.
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7
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Li T, Liu X, Wang Y, Cao R, Yin H. Electronic structures of Zn 1-xGa xO 1-xN x and band offsets of the ZnO/Zn 1-xGa xO 1-xN x heterojunction across the entire concentration range from first principles. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 24:375-381. [PMID: 34889912 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp04923b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Band offsets at the heterointerfaces play a key role in defining the functionality of optoelectronic devices. In this work, the band gaps of wurtzite Zn1-xGaxO1-xNx alloys and the band offsets of the lattice matched ZnO/Zn1-xGaxO1-xNx heterojunction across the entire concentration range of GaN were investigated by the modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) semi-local exchange combined with the coherent potential approximation (CPA). The calculated band gaps of Zn1-xGaxO1-xNx alloys can be tuned by the concentration of the doping GaN and show a strong band gap bowing. The heterojunctions ZnO/Zn1-xGaxO1-xNx form either type I or type II band alignment by adjusting the concentration of GaN; especially, when the concentration is in the range of 0.8 < x < 0.97, the band gaps of Zn1-xGaxO1-xNx cover visible light, and the heterojunctions show type II band alignment, which would help to enhance the solar light adsorption ability and improve the carrier collection efficiency in the design and optimization of ZnO and GaN-based heterojunctions for the applications of optoelectronics and photocatalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianjiao Li
- Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China.
| | - Xiaojie Liu
- Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China.
| | - Yin Wang
- Department of Physics and International Centre for Quantum and Molecular Structures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
| | - Ronggen Cao
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Haitao Yin
- Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China.
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8
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Huang W, Zhou D, Lee J, Sun J, Zhang S, Xu H, Luo J, Liu X. Ag-decorated GaN for high-efficiency photoreduction of carbon dioxide into tunable syngas under visible light. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 32:505722. [PMID: 34547735 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac28d7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Visible light-driven photoreduction of CO2and H2O to tunable syngas is an appealing strategy for both artificial carbon neutral and Fischer-Tropsch processes. However, the development of photocatalysts with high activity and selectivity remains challenging. For this case, we here design a hybrid catalyst, synthesized byin situdeposition of Ag crystals on GaN nanobelts, that delivers a tunable H2/CO ratio between 0.5 and 3 under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). The obtained photocatalyst delivers a maximal turnover frequency value of 3.85 h-1and a corresponding yield rate of 2.12 mmol h-1g-1for CO production, while the photocatalytic activity keeps stable during five cycling tests. Additionally, syngas can be detected even atλ > 600 nm. Experiments and mechanistic studies reveal that the existence of Ag crystals not only extends the light absorption region but also promotes the charge transfer efficiency, and thereby leading to a photocatalytic improvement. Accordingly, the present work affords an opportunity for developing an efficient photo-driven system by using solar energy to alleviate CO2emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Dejin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Electronics & Systems, School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
- Wuxi Research Institute of Applied Technologies, Tsinghua University, Wuxi 214072, People's Republic of China
| | - John Lee
- Qianxun Spatial Intelligence Inc., Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaqiang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion, Institute of Coal Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan 030001, Shanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Shusheng Zhang
- College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450000, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong Xu
- Wuxi Research Institute of Applied Technologies, Tsinghua University, Wuxi 214072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Luo
- Institute for New Energy Materials & Low-Carbon Technologies and Tianjin Key Lab for Photoelectric Materials & Devices, School of Materials and Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, People's Republic of China
| | - Xijun Liu
- Institute for New Energy Materials & Low-Carbon Technologies and Tianjin Key Lab for Photoelectric Materials & Devices, School of Materials and Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, People's Republic of China
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9
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Cui F, Zhang Y, Fonseka HA, Promdet P, Channa AI, Wang M, Xia X, Sathasivam S, Liu H, Parkin IP, Yang H, Li T, Choy KL, Wu J, Blackman C, Sanchez AM, Liu H. Robust Protection of III-V Nanowires in Water Splitting by a Thin Compact TiO 2 Layer. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:30950-30958. [PMID: 34160197 PMCID: PMC8289235 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c03903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Narrow-band-gap III-V semiconductor nanowires (NWs) with a suitable band structure and strong light-trapping ability are ideal for high-efficiency low-cost solar water-splitting systems. However, due to their nanoscale dimension, they suffer more severe corrosion by the electrolyte solution than the thin-film counterparts. Thus, short-term durability is the major obstacle for using these NWs for practical water-splitting applications. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that a thin layer (∼7 nm thick) of compact TiO2 deposited by atomic layer deposition can provide robust protection to III-V NWs. The protected GaAs NWs maintain 91.4% of its photoluminescence intensity after 14 months of storage in ambient atmosphere, which suggests the TiO2 layer is pinhole-free. Working as a photocathode for water splitting, they exhibited a 45% larger photocurrent density compared with unprotected counterparts and a high Faraday efficiency of 91% and can also maintain a record-long highly stable performance among narrow-band-gap III-V NW photoelectrodes; after 67 h photoelectrochemical stability test reaction in a strong acid electrolyte solution (pH = 1), they show no apparent indication of corrosion, which is in stark contrast to the unprotected NWs that fully failed after 35 h. These findings provide an effective way to enhance both stability and performance of III-V NW-based photoelectrodes, which are highly important for practical applications in solar-energy-based water-splitting systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Cui
- Department
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, U.K.
| | - Yunyan Zhang
- Department
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, U.K.
- Department
of Physics, Paderborn University, Warburger Straße 100, 33098 Paderborn, Germany
| | - H. Aruni Fonseka
- Department
of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.
| | - Premrudee Promdet
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, U.K.
| | - Ali Imran Channa
- Institute
of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University
of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, P. R. China
| | - Mingqing Wang
- UCL
Institute for Materials Discovery, University
College London, Roberts
Building, Malet Place, London WC1E 7JE, U.K.
| | - Xueming Xia
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, U.K.
| | | | - Hezhuang Liu
- Institute
of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University
of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, P. R. China
| | - Ivan P. Parkin
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H 0AJ, U.K.
| | - Hui Yang
- Department
of Materials, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Ting Li
- Institute
of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300192, P. R. China
| | - Kwang-Leong Choy
- UCL
Institute for Materials Discovery, University
College London, Roberts
Building, Malet Place, London WC1E 7JE, U.K.
| | - Jiang Wu
- Institute
of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University
of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, P. R. China
| | | | - Ana M. Sanchez
- Department
of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K.
| | - Huiyun Liu
- Department
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, U.K.
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10
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Lu H, Tournet J, Dastafkan K, Liu Y, Ng YH, Karuturi SK, Zhao C, Yin Z. Noble-Metal-Free Multicomponent Nanointegration for Sustainable Energy Conversion. Chem Rev 2021; 121:10271-10366. [PMID: 34228446 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Global energy and environmental crises are among the most pressing challenges facing humankind. To overcome these challenges, recent years have seen an upsurge of interest in the development and production of renewable chemical fuels as alternatives to the nonrenewable and high-polluting fossil fuels. Photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, and electrocatalysis provide promising avenues for sustainable energy conversion. Single- and dual-component catalytic systems based on nanomaterials have been intensively studied for decades, but their intrinsic weaknesses hamper their practical applications. Multicomponent nanomaterial-based systems, consisting of three or more components with at least one component in the nanoscale, have recently emerged. The multiple components are integrated together to create synergistic effects and hence overcome the limitation for outperformance. Such higher-efficiency systems based on nanomaterials will potentially bring an additional benefit in balance-of-system costs if they exclude the use of noble metals, considering the expense and sustainability. It is therefore timely to review the research in this field, providing guidance in the development of noble-metal-free multicomponent nanointegration for sustainable energy conversion. In this work, we first recall the fundamentals of catalysis by nanomaterials, multicomponent nanointegration, and reactor configuration for water splitting, CO2 reduction, and N2 reduction. We then systematically review and discuss recent advances in multicomponent-based photocatalytic, photoelectrochemical, and electrochemical systems based on nanomaterials. On the basis of these systems, we further laterally evaluate different multicomponent integration strategies and highlight their impacts on catalytic activity, performance stability, and product selectivity. Finally, we provide conclusions and future prospects for multicomponent nanointegration. This work offers comprehensive insights into the development of cost-competitive multicomponent nanomaterial-based systems for sustainable energy-conversion technologies and assists researchers working toward addressing the global challenges in energy and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haijiao Lu
- Research School of Chemistry, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Julie Tournet
- Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Kamran Dastafkan
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Yun Liu
- Research School of Chemistry, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Yun Hau Ng
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Siva Krishna Karuturi
- Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.,Research School of Electrical, Energy and Materials Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Chuan Zhao
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Zongyou Yin
- Research School of Chemistry, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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11
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Bae H, Kim H, Burungale V, Min J, Cha A, Rho H, Ryu S, Kang SH, Ha J. Hydrothermal Synthesis of
CaMn
2
O
4
·
xH
2
O
Nanorods as Co‐Catalysts on
GaN
Nanowire Photoanode. B KOREAN CHEM SOC 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.12297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hyojung Bae
- School of Chemical Engineering and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center Chonnam National University Buk‐gu Gwangju 61186 Korea
| | - Hyunggu Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center Chonnam National University Buk‐gu Gwangju 61186 Korea
| | - Vishal Burungale
- School of Chemical Engineering and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center Chonnam National University Buk‐gu Gwangju 61186 Korea
| | - Jung‐Wook Min
- Photonics Laboratory King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal 23955‐6900 Saudi Arabia
| | - An‐na Cha
- School of Chemical Engineering and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center Chonnam National University Buk‐gu Gwangju 61186 Korea
| | - Hokyun Rho
- Energy Convergence Core Facility Chonnam National University Gwangju 61186 Korea
| | - Sang‐Wan Ryu
- Department of Physics and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center Chonnam National University Gwangju 61186 Korea
| | - Soon Hyung Kang
- Department of Chemistry Education and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center Chonnam National University Gwangju 61186 Korea
| | - Jun‐Seok Ha
- School of Chemical Engineering and Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center Chonnam National University Buk‐gu Gwangju 61186 Korea
- Energy Convergence Core Facility Chonnam National University Gwangju 61186 Korea
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12
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Han S, Noh S, Yu YT, Lee CR, Lee SK, Kim JS. Highly Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Using GaN-Nanowire Photoanode with Tungsten Sulfides. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:58028-58037. [PMID: 33337852 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c17811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, we have achieved high-performance photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) using GaN nanowires (NWs) coated with tungsten sulfide (WxS1-x) (GaN-NW-WxS1-x) as a photoanode. The measured current density and applied-bias photon-to-current efficiency were 20.38 mA/cm2 and 13.76%, respectively. These values were much higher than those reported previously for photoanodes with any kind of III-nitride nanostructure. The amount of hydrogen gas formed was 1.01 mmol/cm2 from 7 h PEC-WS, which was also much higher than the previously reported values. The drastic improvement in the PEC-WS performance using the GaN-NW-WxS1-x photoanode was attributed to an increase in the number of photogenerated carriers due to the highly crystalline GaN NWs, and acceleration of separation of photogenerated carriers and consequent suppression of charge recombination because of nitrogen-terminated surfaces of NWs, sulfur vacancies in WxS1-x, and type-II band alignment between NW and WxS1-x. The degree of impedance matching, evaluated from Nyquist plots, was considered to analyze charge transfer characteristics at the interface between the GaN-NW-WxS1-x photoanode and 0.5-M H2SO4 electrolyte. Considering the material system and scheme for the PEC-WS, our approach provides an efficient way to improve hydrogen evolution reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangmoon Han
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, South Korea
| | - Siyun Noh
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, South Korea
| | - Yeon-Tae Yu
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, South Korea
| | - Cheul-Ro Lee
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, South Korea
| | - Seoung-Ki Lee
- Applied Quantum Composites Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Wanju 55324, South Korea
| | - Jin Soo Kim
- Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, South Korea
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13
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Maity D, Karmakar K, Mandal D, Pal D, Khan GG, Mandal K. Earth abundant transition metal ferrite nanoparticles anchored ZnO nanorods as efficient and stable photoanodes for solar water splitting. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 31:475403. [PMID: 32886646 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/abae9a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Poor light absorption, severe surface charge recombination and fast degradation are the key challenges with ZnO nanostructures based electrodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Here, this study attempts to design an efficient and durable nano-heterojunction photoelectrode by integrating earth abundant chemically stable transition metal spinel ferrites MFe2O4 (M = Co and Ni) nano-particles on ZnO Nanorod arrays. The low band gap magnetic ferrites improve the solar energy harvesting ability of the nano-heterojunction electrodes in ultraviolet-visible light region resulting in a maximum increase of 105% and 190% in photocurrent density and applied bias photon-to-current efficiency, respectively, compared to pristine ZnO nanorods. The favourable type-II band alignment at the ferrites/ZnO nano-heterojunction provides significantly enhanced photo-generated carrier separation and transfer, endowing the excellent solar H2 evolution ability (743 and 891 μmol cm-2 h-1for ZnO/CoFe2O4 and ZnO/NiFe2O4, respectively) of the photoanodes by using sacrificial agent. The hybrid nanostructures deliver long term stability of the electrode against photocorrosion. This work demonstrates an easy but effective strategy to develop low-cost earth abundant ferrites-based heterojunction electrodes, which offers excellent PEC activity and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipanjan Maity
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Material Sciences, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block JD, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 106, India
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14
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Tanner DSP, Schulz S. Electronic and excitonic properties of ultrathin (In,Ga)N layers: the role of alloy and monolayer width fluctuations. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:20258-20269. [PMID: 33026030 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr03748f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We present an atomistic theoretical analysis of the electronic and excitonic properties of ultrathin, monolayer thick wurtzite (In,Ga)N embedded in GaN. Our microscopic investigation reveals that (i) alloy fluctuations within the monolayer lead to carrier localization effects that dominate the electronic and optical properties of these ultrathin systems and that (ii) excitonic binding energies in these structures exceed the thermal energy at room temperature, enabling excitonic effects to persist even at elevated temperatures. Our theoretical findings are consistent with, and provide an explanation for, literature experimental observations of (i) broad photoluminescence linewidth and (ii) excitonic effects contributing to the radiative recombination process at elevated temperatures. When accounting for small structural inhomogeneities, such as local thickness fluctuations of one monolayer, "indirect" excitons may be found, with electrons and holes independently localized in different spatial positions. This result also provides further arguments for experimentally observed effects such as (i) non-exponential decay curves in time dependent photoluminescence spectra and (ii) the "S"-shape temperature dependence of the photoluminescence peak energies. Overall, our results provide fundamental understanding, on an atomistic level, of the electronic and optical properties of ultrathin, quasi 2D (In,Ga)N monolayers embedded in GaN, and offer guidance for the tailoring of their properties for potential future device applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S P Tanner
- Laboratoire SPMS, CNRS-Centrale Supelec, Universite Paris-Saclay, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Stefan Schulz
- Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork T12 R5CP, Ireland.
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15
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Kumar R, Mondal K, Panda PK, Kaushik A, Abolhassani R, Ahuja R, Rubahn HG, Mishra YK. Core-shell nanostructures: perspectives towards drug delivery applications. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:8992-9027. [PMID: 32902559 DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01559h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Nanosystems have shown encouraging outcomes and substantial progress in the areas of drug delivery and biomedical applications. However, the controlled and targeted delivery of drugs or genes can be limited due to their physicochemical and functional properties. In this regard, core-shell type nanoparticles are promising nanocarrier systems for controlled and targeted drug delivery applications. These functional nanoparticles are emerging as a particular class of nanosystems because of their unique advantages, including high surface area, and easy surface modification and functionalization. Such unique advantages can facilitate the use of core-shell nanoparticles for the selective mingling of two or more different functional properties in a single nanosystem to achieve the desired physicochemical properties that are essential for effective targeted drug delivery. Several types of core-shell nanoparticles, such as metallic, magnetic, silica-based, upconversion, and carbon-based core-shell nanoparticles, have been designed and developed for drug delivery applications. Keeping the scope, demand, and challenges in view, the present review explores state-of-the-art developments and advances in core-shell nanoparticle systems, the desired structure-property relationships, newly generated properties, the effects of parameter control, surface modification, and functionalization, and, last but not least, their promising applications in the fields of drug delivery, biomedical applications, and tissue engineering. This review also supports significant future research for developing multi-core and shell-based functional nanosystems to investigate nano-therapies that are needed for advanced, precise, and personalized healthcare systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raj Kumar
- Faculty of Engineering and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan-52900, Israel.
| | - Kunal Mondal
- Materials Science and Engineering Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415, USA.
| | - Pritam Kumar Panda
- Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Theory Division, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, SE-75120, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ajeet Kaushik
- NanoBioTech Laboratory, Department of Natural Sciences, Division of Sciences, Art, & Mathematics, Florida Polytechnic University, Lakeland, FL-33805, USA
| | - Reza Abolhassani
- Mads Clausen Institute, NanoSYD, University of Southern Denmark, Alsion 2, DK-6400, Sønderborg, Denmark.
| | - Rajeev Ahuja
- Condensed Matter Theory Group, Materials Theory Division, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, SE-75120, Uppsala, Sweden and Applied Materials Physics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE-10044 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Horst-Günter Rubahn
- Mads Clausen Institute, NanoSYD, University of Southern Denmark, Alsion 2, DK-6400, Sønderborg, Denmark.
| | - Yogendra Kumar Mishra
- Mads Clausen Institute, NanoSYD, University of Southern Denmark, Alsion 2, DK-6400, Sønderborg, Denmark.
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16
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Liu M, Tan L, Rashid RT, Cen Y, Cheng S, Botton G, Mi Z, Li CJ. GaN nanowires as a reusable photoredox catalyst for radical coupling of carbonyl under blacklight irradiation. Chem Sci 2020; 11:7864-7870. [PMID: 34123073 PMCID: PMC8163334 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc02718a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Employing photo-energy to drive the desired chemical transformation has been a long pursued subject. The development of homogeneous photoredox catalysts in radical coupling reactions has been truly phenomenal, however, with apparent disadvantages such as the difficulty in separating the catalyst and the frequent requirement of scarce noble metals. We therefore envisioned the use of a hyper-stable III-V photosensitizing semiconductor with a tunable Fermi level and energy band as a readily isolable and recyclable heterogeneous photoredox catalyst for radical coupling reactions. Using the carbonyl coupling reaction as a proof-of-concept, herein, we report a photo-pinacol coupling reaction catalyzed by GaN nanowires under ambient light at room temperature with methanol as a solvent and sacrificial reagent. By simply tuning the dopant, the GaN nanowire shows significantly enhanced electronic properties. The catalyst showed excellent stability, reusability and functional tolerance. All reactions could be accomplished with a single piece of nanowire on Si-wafer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxin Liu
- Department of Chemistry and FRQNT Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis, McGill University 801 Sherbrooke Ouest Montreal Quebec H3A 0B8 Canada
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan 1301 Beal Ave Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
| | - Lida Tan
- Department of Chemistry and FRQNT Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis, McGill University 801 Sherbrooke Ouest Montreal Quebec H3A 0B8 Canada
| | - Roksana T Rashid
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University 3480 University Montreal Quebec H3A 0E9 Canada
| | - Yunen Cen
- Department of Chemistry and FRQNT Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis, McGill University 801 Sherbrooke Ouest Montreal Quebec H3A 0B8 Canada
| | - Shaobo Cheng
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, McMaster University 1280 Main Street West Hamilton ON L8S 4M1 Canada
| | - Gianluigi Botton
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, McMaster University 1280 Main Street West Hamilton ON L8S 4M1 Canada
| | - Zetian Mi
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan 1301 Beal Ave Ann Arbor MI 48109 USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University 3480 University Montreal Quebec H3A 0E9 Canada
| | - Chao-Jun Li
- Department of Chemistry and FRQNT Centre for Green Chemistry and Catalysis, McGill University 801 Sherbrooke Ouest Montreal Quebec H3A 0B8 Canada
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17
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Wang X, Zhao H, Chen Z, Luo F, Guo L, Qiu B, Lin Z, Wang J. A homogeneous photoelectrochemical hydrogen sulfide sensor based on the electronic transfer mediated by tetrasulfophthalocyanine. Analyst 2020; 145:3543-3548. [DOI: 10.1039/d0an00302f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A homogeneous photoelectrochemical sensor for H2S detection based on the electronic transfer mediated by [Fe(iii)PcS4]+was developed with an un-modified photoelectrode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyang Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection for Food Safety
- Department of Chemistry
- Fuzhou University
- Fuzhou
| | - Huanan Zhao
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection for Food Safety
- Department of Chemistry
- Fuzhou University
- Fuzhou
| | - Zhonghui Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection for Food Safety
- Department of Chemistry
- Fuzhou University
- Fuzhou
| | - Fang Luo
- College of Biological Science and Engineering
- Fuzhou University
- Fuzhou
- China
| | - Longhua Guo
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection for Food Safety
- Department of Chemistry
- Fuzhou University
- Fuzhou
| | - Bin Qiu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection for Food Safety
- Department of Chemistry
- Fuzhou University
- Fuzhou
| | - Zhenyu Lin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection for Food Safety
- Department of Chemistry
- Fuzhou University
- Fuzhou
| | - Jian Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection for Food Safety
- Department of Chemistry
- Fuzhou University
- Fuzhou
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18
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Hassan MA, Kim MW, Johar MA, Waseem A, Kwon MK, Ryu SW. Transferred monolayer MoS 2 onto GaN for heterostructure photoanode: Toward stable and efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting. Sci Rep 2019; 9:20141. [PMID: 31882920 PMCID: PMC6934777 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56807-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Solar-driven photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) using semiconductor photoelectrodes is considered a promising solution for sustainable, renewable, clean, safe and alternative energy sources such as hydrogen. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of a novel heterostructure MoS2/GaN to be used as a photoanode for PEC-WS. The heterostructure was synthesized by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of single crystalline GaN onto a c-plane sapphire substrate, followed by the deposition of a visible light responding MoS2 monolayer (Eg = 1.9 eV) formed by a Mo-sulfurization technique. Our experimental results reveal that MoS2/GaN photoanode achieved efficient light harvesting with photocurrent density of 5.2 mA cm−2 at 0 V vs Ag/AgCl, which is 2.6 times higher than pristine GaN. Interestingly, MoS2/GaN exhibited a significantly enhanced applied-bias-photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 0.91%, whereas reference GaN yielded an efficiency of 0.32%. The superior PEC performance of the MoS2/GaN photoelectrode is mainly related to the enhanced light absorption due to excellent photocatalytic behavior of MoS2, which reduces charge transfer resistance between the semiconductor and electrolyte interface, and the improvement of charge separation and transport. This result gives a new perspective on the importance of MoS2 as a cocatalyst coated onto GaN to synthesize photoelectrodes for efficient solar energy conversion devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Afifi Hassan
- Department of Physics, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Woo Kim
- Department of Photonic Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, Republic of Korea
| | - Muhammad Ali Johar
- Department of Physics, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Aadil Waseem
- Department of Physics, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Ki Kwon
- Department of Photonic Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju, 61452, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Wan Ryu
- Department of Physics, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea. .,Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea.
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19
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Enhanced charge separation and interfacial charge transfer of InGaN nanorods/C3N4 heterojunction photoanode. Electrochim Acta 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2019.134844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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20
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Wei S, Xu N, Li F, Long X, Hu Y, Gao L, Wang C, Li S, Ma J, Jin J. Rationally Designed Heterojunction on a CuBi
2
O
4
Photocathode for Improved Activity and Stability during Photoelectrochemical Water Reduction. ChemElectroChem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/celc.201900714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shenqi Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Na Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Xuefeng Long
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Yiping Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Lili Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Chenglong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Shuwen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Jiantai Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
| | - Jun Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry (SKLAOC), The Key Laboratory of CatalyticEngineering of Gansu Province College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lanzhou University Lanzhou, Gansu 730000 P. R. China
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Abstract
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been intensively studied in the past decades as a promising method for large-scale solar energy storage. Among the various issues that limit the progress of this field, the lack of photoelectrode materials with suitable properties in all aspects of light absorption, charge separation and transport, and charge transfer is a key challenge, which has attracted tremendous research attention. A large variety of compositions, in different forms, have been tested. This review aims to summarize efforts in this area, with a focus on materials-related considerations. Issues discussed by this review include synthesis, optoelectronic properties, charge behaviors and catalysis. In the recognition that thin-film materials are representative model systems for the study of these issues, we elected to focus on this form, so as to provide a concise and coherent account on the different strategies that have been proposed and tested. Because practical implementation is of paramount importance to the eventual realization of using solar fuel for solar energy storage, we pay particular attention to strategies proposed to address the stability and catalytic issues, which are two key factors limiting the implementation of efficient photoelectrode materials. To keep the overall discussion focused, all discussions were presented within the context of water splitting reactions. How the thin-film systems may be applied for fundamental studies of the water splitting chemical mechanisms and how to use the model system to test device engineering design strategies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumin He
- Department of Chemistry, Merkert Chemistry Center, Boston College, 2609 Beacon St., Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA.
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22
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Winnerl J, Kraut M, Artmeier S, Stutzmann M. Selectively grown GaN nanowalls and nanogrids for photocatalysis: growth and optical properties. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:4578-4584. [PMID: 30809617 DOI: 10.1039/c8nr09094g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In this work, the selective area growth of GaN nanowalls and nanogrids on sapphire and GaN on sapphire by molecular beam epitaxy is investigated. We demonstrate the fabrication of homogeneous GaN nanowall arrays with different widths, distances and specific crystallographic side facets. Photoluminescence spectroscopy of as-grown GaN nanowalls reveals a high crystal quality and low defect density. Moreover, a distinct dependence of the nanowall width and the intensity of the donor-bound exciton emission on the crystal orientation of the sidewall facets is found and explained by different surface states for a-plane and m-plane GaN. The waveguide character of the GaN nanowalls, given by the large refractive index of GaN and the subwavelength size of the structures, is analysed by experimental transmission measurements and numerical simulations. Our results and the high epitaxial control achieved by selective area growth show the potential of tailor-made nanowall-based devices, e.g., in photocatalysis or nanofluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Winnerl
- Walter Schottky Institut and Physics Department, Technische Universität München, 85748 Garching, Germany.
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23
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McInnes A, Sagu JS, Mehta D, Wijayantha KGU. Low-cost Fabrication of Tunable Band Gap Composite Indium and Gallium Nitrides. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2313. [PMID: 30783150 PMCID: PMC6381210 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38882-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
III-nitride materials have been linked with a vast number of exciting applications from power electronics to solar cells. Herein, polycrystalline InN, GaN and systematically controlled InxGa1-xN composite thin films are fabricated on FTO glass by a facile, low-cost and scalable aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. Variation of the indium content in the composite films leads to a dramatic shift in the optical absorbance properties, which correlates with the band edges shifting between those of GaN to InN. Moreover, the photoelectrochemical properties are shown to vary with indium content, with the 50% indium composite having an external quantum efficiency of around 8%. Whilst the overall photocurrent is found to be low, the photocurrent stability is shown to be excellent, with little degradation seen over 1 hour. These findings demonstrate a new and low-cost method for fabricating polycrystalline III-nitrides, which have a range of interesting properties that are highly sought after for many applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew McInnes
- Energy Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK
| | - Jagdeep S Sagu
- Energy Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
| | - Diana Mehta
- Energy Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK
| | - K G U Wijayantha
- Energy Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
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24
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Zhang H, Ebaid M, Tan J, Liu G, Min JW, Ng TK, Ooi BS. Improved solar hydrogen production by engineered doping of InGaN/GaN axial heterojunctions. OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 27:A81-A91. [PMID: 30876005 DOI: 10.1364/oe.27.000a81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
InGaN-based nanowires (NWs) have been investigated as efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting devices. In this work, the InGaN/GaN NWs were grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) having InGaN segments on top of GaN seeds. Three axial heterojunction structures were constructed with different doping types and levels, namely n-InGaN/n-GaN NWs, undoped (u)-InGaN/p-GaN NWs, and p-InGaN/p-GaN NWs. With the carrier concentrations estimated by Mott-Schottky measurements, a PC1D simulation further confirmed the band structures of the three heterojunctions. The u-InGaN/p-GaN and p-InGaN/p-GaN NWs exhibited optimized stability in pH 0 electrolytes for over 10 h with a photocurrent density of about -4.0 and -9.4 mA/cm2, respectively. However, the hydrogen and oxygen evolution rates of the Pt-treated u-InGaN/p-GaN NWs exhibited a less favorable stoichiometric ratio. On the other hand, the Pt-decorated p-InGaN/p-GaN NWs showed the best PEC performance, generating approximately 1000 µmol/cm2 hydrogen and 550 µmol/cm2 oxygen in 10 h. The band-engineered p-InGaN/p-GaN axial NWs-heterojunction demonstrated a great potential for highly efficient and durable photocathodes.
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Kim H, Bae H, Bang SW, Kim S, Lee SH, Ryu SW, Ha JS. Enhanced photoelectrochemical stability of GaN photoelectrodes by Al 2O 3 surface passivation layer. OPTICS EXPRESS 2019; 27:A206-A215. [PMID: 30876136 DOI: 10.1364/oe.27.00a206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is one of the most promising hydrogen production methods because of its high efficiency, renewable resources and harmless by-products. Gallium nitride (GaN) is suitable for PEC water splitting because it has excellent stability in electrolyte and band gap energy which straddles the redox potential of water (Vredox = 1.23 V). These characteristics allow this material to split water stably without external bias. However, the stability of GaN is still not sufficient for practical applications. In this study, we investigated the properties of GaN photoelectrodes with aluminum oxide (Al2O3) thin film as a protection layer for increasing stability. In a long-term stability test, Al2O3-coated GaN showed more stable photocurrent than that of bare GaN. The total hydrogen production amount was also improved in Al2O3-coated samples than bare GaN. These results indicate that the Al2O3 protection layer significantly enhances stability and hydrogen production.
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Kimura T, Sato S, Kataoka K, Morikawa T, Nakamura D. Self-Assembled Single-Crystalline GaN Having a Bimodal Meso/Macropore Structure To Enhance Photoabsorption and Photocatalytic Reactions. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:4233-4241. [PMID: 30608116 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b18088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
This paper describes the self-assembled fabrication of single-crystal GaN with a bimodal pore (meso/macropore) size distribution (BiPS-GaN). A 4.7 μm-thick BiPS-GaN layer was grown spontaneously using halogen-free vapor phase epitaxy in conjunction with boron impurity doping (>1 × 1019 atoms/cm3) on a GaN template fabricated via metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD-GaN). The boron impurity acted as a surfactant, and its segregation generated a dense (>1 × 1010 cm-2), homogeneous distribution of mesopores with sizes of 30-40 nm in GaN during growth. In addition, macropores with sizes of 0.1-2 μm were produced by the fusion of mesopores in close proximity to one another. As a result, BiPS-GaN exhibited a high density of both meso- and macropores, all aligned in the vertical direction (that is, along the c axis). BiPS-GaN showed good electroconductivity and almost the same high degree of crystallinity as the MOCVD-GaN template. Furthermore, the hybrid meso/macropore structure of BiPS-GaN imparted excellent photoabsorption properties and allowed this material to work as an efficient support for a nanosized IrO x catalyst. The photocurrent density in BiPS-GaN was enhanced by as much as a factor of 5 compared to planar GaN by effective absorption due to the hybrid meso/macropore structure of BiPS-GaN. Moreover, the oxygen generation efficiency of BiPS-GaN with the IrO x catalyst was approximately doubled, compared to that of BiPS-GaN without IrO x, while maintaining long-term stability. These results demonstrate that BiPS-GaN fabricated in this facile manner has significant potential in applications such as photoelectrochemical reactions and catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taishi Kimura
- Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. , Nagakute , Aichi 480-1192 , Japan
| | - Shunsuke Sato
- Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. , Nagakute , Aichi 480-1192 , Japan
| | - Keita Kataoka
- Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. , Nagakute , Aichi 480-1192 , Japan
| | - Takeshi Morikawa
- Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. , Nagakute , Aichi 480-1192 , Japan
| | - Daisuke Nakamura
- Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. , Nagakute , Aichi 480-1192 , Japan
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27
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Quantum dot activated indium gallium nitride on silicon as photoanode for solar hydrogen generation. Commun Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1038/s42004-018-0105-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Aboud AA, Shaban M, Revaprasadu N. Effect of Cu, Ni and Pb doping on the photo-electrochemical activity of ZnO thin films. RSC Adv 2019; 9:7729-7736. [PMID: 35521190 PMCID: PMC9061195 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra10599e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In the present study, the effects of metallic doping on the photoelectron\chemical properties of zinc oxide thin films have been studied. All films have been deposited using the spray pyrolysis technique at a constant doping level of 3 wt% whereby Cu, Ni, and Pb were used as dopants. The structure of all films was studied by X-ray diffraction which showed the grain size of all doped films to be 50 nm. The energy band gap of all films was estimated using optical transmission spectroscopy. The Ni, Cu, and Pb-doped ZnO photoelectrodes were applied for the photoelectrochemical (PEC) H2 generation from H2O. Pb doping leads to the highest photocurrent of the ZnO photoelectrodes. The current density–potential characteristics were measured under white light and monochromatic illumination. The stability of the electrode was quantified as a function of the number of H2 production runs and exposure time. Finally, the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency, IPCE, and applied bias photon-to-current efficiency, ABPE, were calculated. The optimum IPCE at 390 nm was ∼30% whereas the ABPE was 0.636 at 0.5 V. In the present study, the effects of metallic doping on the photoelectron\chemical properties of zinc oxide thin films have been studied.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed A. Aboud
- Department of Physics
- Faculty of Science
- Beni-Suef University
- Beni-Suef
- Egypt
| | - Mohamed Shaban
- Department of Physics
- Faculty of Science
- Beni-Suef University
- Beni-Suef
- Egypt
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Xu Z, Zhang S, Gao F, Wen L, Yu Y, Li G. Correlations among morphology, composition, and photoelectrochemical water splitting properties of InGaN nanorods grown by molecular beam epitaxy. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2018; 29:475603. [PMID: 30207545 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aae0d4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism underlying the effect of growth condition on the morphology evolution of InGaN nanorods (NRs) has been systematically investigated. The increased Ga flux enhances both the axial and the radial growth at the growth stage. However, the changed Ga flux influences not only the growth but also the nucleation of InGaN NRs. At the nucleation stage, the increased Ga flux shortens the delay time for NR formation, and prolongs the growth stage for a fixed total growth time. Those two aspects result in the increase of NR diameter and height with the supplied Ga flux. In addition, the continuous nucleation is ended much earlier due to the accelerated saturation of substrate area with the increased Ga flux, resulting in a decreased final NR density. In addition to the morphology evolution with the Ga flux, the composition characteristic of InGaN NRs has been also studied. The In distribution of InGaN NRs depends critically on the NR diameter along the NR growth direction, and the NRs show a morphology-dependent In incorporation. Interestingly, the InGaN NRs discussed here show a radial Stark effect induced by the pinned Fermi level. The radial Stark effect shifts the absorption edge of the InGaN NRs toward longer wavelengths, makes the InGaN NRs attractive for photoelectrochemical water splitting applications. The photoelectrochemical measurements present a significant increase in the photocurrent with the increased total surface area of the InGaN NRs, which is due to the enhanced light absorption effects and the enlarged interfacial area of the semiconductor/electrolyte.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, People's Republic of China. Engineering Research Center on Solid-State Lighting and its Informationisation of Guangdong Province, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, People's Republic of China
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Vanka S, Arca E, Cheng S, Sun K, Botton GA, Teeter G, Mi Z. High Efficiency Si Photocathode Protected by Multifunctional GaN Nanostructures. NANO LETTERS 2018; 18:6530-6537. [PMID: 30216079 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b03087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a clean and environmentally friendly method for solar hydrogen generation. Its practical application, however, has been limited by the poor stability of semiconductor photoelectrodes. In this work, we demonstrate the use of GaN nanostructures as a multifunctional protection layer for an otherwise unstable, low-performance photocathode. The direct integration of GaN nanostructures on n+-p Si wafer not only protects Si surface from corrosion but also significantly reduces the charge carrier transfer resistance at the semiconductor/liquid junction, leading to long-term stability (>100 h) at a large current density (>35 mA/cm2) under 1 sun illumination. The measured applied bias photon-to-current efficiency of 10.5% is among the highest values ever reported for a Si photocathode. Given that both Si and GaN are already widely produced in industry, our studies offer a viable path for achieving high-efficiency and highly stable semiconductor photoelectrodes for solar water splitting with proven manufacturability and scalability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivas Vanka
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science , University of Michigan , 1301 Beal Avenue , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , McGill University , 3480 University Street , Montreal , Quebec H3A 0E9 , Canada
| | - Elisabetta Arca
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory , Golden , Colorado 80401 , United States
| | - Shaobo Cheng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy , McMaster University , 1280 Main Street West , Hamilton , Ontario L8S 4M1 , Canada
| | - Kai Sun
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Michigan , 2300 Hayward Street , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
| | - Gianluigi A Botton
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy , McMaster University , 1280 Main Street West , Hamilton , Ontario L8S 4M1 , Canada
| | - Glenn Teeter
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory , Golden , Colorado 80401 , United States
| | - Zetian Mi
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science , University of Michigan , 1301 Beal Avenue , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
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ElAfandy RT, Ebaid M, Min JW, Zhao C, Ng TK, Ooi BS. Flexible InGaN nanowire membranes for enhanced solar water splitting. OPTICS EXPRESS 2018; 26:A640-A650. [PMID: 30114053 DOI: 10.1364/oe.26.00a640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
III-Nitride nanowires (NWs) have recently emerged as potential photoelectrodes for efficient solar hydrogen generation. While InGaN NWs epitaxy over silicon is required for high crystalline quality and economic production, it leads to the formation of the notorious silicon nitride insulating interface as well as low electrical conductivity which both impede excess charge carrier dynamics and overall device performance. We tackle this issue by developing, for the first time, a substrate-free InGaN NWs membrane photoanodes, through liftoff and transfer techniques, where excess charge carriers are efficiently extracted from the InGaN NWs through a proper ohmic contact formed with a high electrical conductivity metal stack membrane. As a result, compared to conventional InGaN NWs on silicon, the fabricated free-standing flexible membranes showed a 10-fold increase in the generated photocurrent as well as a 0.8 V cathodic shift in the onset potential. Through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, accompanied with TEM-based analysis, we further demonstrated the detailed enhancement within excess charge carrier dynamics of the photoanode membranes. This novel configuration in photoelectrodes demonstrates a novel pathway for enhancing the performance of III-nitrides photoelectrodes to accelerate their commercialization for solar water splitting.
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Dou S, Tao L, Wang R, El Hankari S, Chen R, Wang S. Plasma-Assisted Synthesis and Surface Modification of Electrode Materials for Renewable Energy. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2018; 30:e1705850. [PMID: 29441673 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201705850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2017] [Revised: 11/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Renewable energy technology has been considered as a "MUST" option to lower the use of fossil fuels for industry and daily life. Designing critical and sophisticated materials is of great importance in order to realize high-performance energy technology. Typically, efficient synthesis and soft surface modification of nanomaterials are important for energy technology. Therefore, there are increasing demands on the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts or electrode materials, which are the key for scalable and practical electrochemical energy devices. Nevertheless, the development of versatile and cheap strategies is one of the main challenges to achieve the aforementioned goals. Accordingly, plasma technology has recently appeared as an extremely promising alternative for the synthesis and surface modification of nanomaterials for electrochemical devices. Here, the recent progress on the development of nonthermal plasma technology is highlighted for the synthesis and surface modification of advanced electrode materials for renewable energy technology including electrocatalysts for fuel cells, water splitting, metal-air batteries, and electrode materials for batteries and supercapacitors, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Li Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Ruilun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Samir El Hankari
- State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Ru Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
| | - Shuangyin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, P. R. China
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DuChene JS, Tagliabue G, Welch AJ, Cheng WH, Atwater HA. Hot Hole Collection and Photoelectrochemical CO 2 Reduction with Plasmonic Au/p-GaN Photocathodes. NANO LETTERS 2018; 18:2545-2550. [PMID: 29522350 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Harvesting nonequilibrium hot carriers from plasmonic-metal nanostructures offers unique opportunities for driving photochemical reactions at the nanoscale. Despite numerous examples of hot electron-driven processes, the realization of plasmonic systems capable of harvesting hot holes from metal nanostructures has eluded the nascent field of plasmonic photocatalysis. Here, we fabricate gold/p-type gallium nitride (Au/p-GaN) Schottky junctions tailored for photoelectrochemical studies of plasmon-induced hot-hole capture and conversion. Despite the presence of an interfacial Schottky barrier to hot-hole injection of more than 1 eV across the Au/p-GaN heterojunction, plasmonic Au/p-GaN photocathodes exhibit photoelectrochemical properties consistent with the injection of hot holes from Au nanoparticles into p-GaN upon plasmon excitation. The photocurrent action spectrum of the plasmonic photocathodes faithfully follows the surface plasmon resonance absorption spectrum of the Au nanoparticles and open-circuit voltage studies demonstrate a sustained photovoltage during plasmon excitation. Comparison with Ohmic Au/p-NiO heterojunctions confirms that the vast majority of hot holes generated via interband transitions in Au are sufficiently hot to inject above the 1.1 eV interfacial Schottky barrier at the Au/p-GaN heterojunction. We further investigated plasmon-driven photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction with the Au/p-GaN photocathodes and observed improved selectivity for CO production over H2 evolution in aqueous electrolytes. Taken together, our results offer experimental validation of photoexcited hot holes more than 1 eV below the Au Fermi level and demonstrate a photoelectrochemical platform for harvesting hot carriers to drive solar-to-fuel energy conversion.
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Liu H, Ma X, Chen Z, Li Q, Lin Z, Liu H, Zhao L, Chu S. Controllable Synthesis of [11-2-2] Faceted InN Nanopyramids on ZnO for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2018; 14:e1703623. [PMID: 29611622 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201703623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Revised: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Indium nitride (InN) is one of the promising narrow band gap semiconductors for utilizing solar energy in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. However, its widespread application is still hindered by the difficulties in growing high-quality InN samples. Here, high-quality InN nanopyramid arrays are synthesized via epitaxial growth on ZnO single-crystals. The as-prepared InN nanopyramids have well-defined exposed facets of [0001], [11-2-2], [1-212], and [-2112], which provide a possible routine for understanding water oxidation processes on the different facets of nanostructures in nanoscale. First-principles density functional calculations reveal that the nonpolar [11-2-2] face has the highest catalytic activity for water oxidation. PEC investigations demonstrate that the band positions of the InN nanopyramids are strongly altered by the ZnO substrate and a heterogeneous n-n junction is naturally formed at the InN/ZnO interface. The formation of the n-n junction and the built-in electric field is ascribed to the efficient separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the good PEC performance of the InN/ZnO. The InN/ZnO shows good photostability and the hydrogen evolution is about 0.56 µmol cm-2 h-1 , which is about 30 times higher than that of the ZnO substrate. This study demonstrates the potential application of the InN/ZnO photoanodes for PEC water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiqiang Liu
- State key Laboratory for Optoelectronics Materials and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Xinzhou Ma
- State key Laboratory for Optoelectronics Materials and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Zuxin Chen
- State key Laboratory for Optoelectronics Materials and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Qiuguo Li
- State key Laboratory for Optoelectronics Materials and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Zuoye Lin
- State key Laboratory for Optoelectronics Materials and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Han Liu
- State key Laboratory for Optoelectronics Materials and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Liuying Zhao
- State key Laboratory for Optoelectronics Materials and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Sheng Chu
- State key Laboratory for Optoelectronics Materials and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
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Yang C, Xi X, Yu Z, Cao H, Li J, Lin S, Ma Z, Zhao L. Light Modulation and Water Splitting Enhancement Using a Composite Porous GaN Structure. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:5492-5497. [PMID: 29350908 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b15344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
On the basis of the laterally porous GaN, we designed and fabricated a composite porous GaN structure with both well-ordered lateral and vertical holes. Compared to the plane GaN, the composite porous GaN structure with the combination of the vertical holes can help to reduce UV reflectance and increase the saturation photocurrent during water splitting by a factor of ∼4.5. Furthermore, we investigated the underlying mechanism for the enhancement of the water splitting performance using a finite-difference time-domain method. The results show that the well-ordered vertical holes can not only help to open the embedded pore channels to the electrolyte at both sides and reduce the migration distance of the gas bubbles during the water splitting reactions but also help to modulate the light field. Using this composite porous GaN structure, most of the incident light can be modulated and trapped into the nanoholes, and thus the electric fields localized in the lateral pores can increase dramatically as a result of the strong optical coupling. Our findings pave a new way to develop GaN photoelectrodes for highly efficient solar water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Yang
- Semiconductor Lighting Research and Development Center, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. A35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
- College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xin Xi
- Semiconductor Lighting Research and Development Center, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. A35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
- College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiguo Yu
- Semiconductor Lighting Research and Development Center, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. A35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Haicheng Cao
- Semiconductor Lighting Research and Development Center, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. A35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
- College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing Li
- Semiconductor Lighting Research and Development Center, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. A35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
- College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shan Lin
- Semiconductor Lighting Research and Development Center, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. A35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
- College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhanhong Ma
- Semiconductor Lighting Research and Development Center, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. A35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
- College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lixia Zhao
- Semiconductor Lighting Research and Development Center, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. A35, Qinghua East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
- College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , No. 19A, Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
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Butson J, Narangari PR, Karuturi SK, Yew R, Lysevych M, Tan HH, Jagadish C. Photoelectrochemical studies of InGaN/GaN MQW photoanodes. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2018; 29:045403. [PMID: 29192894 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa9eae] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The research interest in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is ever growing due to its potential to contribute towards clean and portable energy. However, the lack of low energy band gap materials with high photocorrosion resistance is the primary setback inhibiting this technology from commercialisation. The ternary alloy InGaN shows promise to meet the photoelectrode material requirements due to its high chemical stability and band gap tunability. The band gap of InGaN can be modulated from the UV to IR regions by adjusting the In concentration so as to absorb the maximum portion of the solar spectrum. This paper reports on the influence of In concentration on the PEC properties of planar and nanopillar (NP) InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well (MQW) photoanodes, where NPs were fabricated using a top-down approach. Results show that changing the In concentration, while having a minor effect on the PEC performance of planar MQWs, has an enormous impact on the PEC performance of NP MQWs, with large variations in the photocurrent density observed. Planar photoanodes containing MQWs generate marginally lower photocurrents compared to photoanodes without MQWs when illuminated with sunlight. NP MQWs with 30% In generated the highest photocurrent density of 1.6 mA cm-2, 4 times greater than that of its planar counterpart and 1.8 times greater than that of the NP photoanode with no MQWs. The InGaN/GaN MQWs also slightly influenced the onset potential of both the planar and NP photoanodes. Micro-photoluminescence, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and IPCE measurements are used to explain these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Butson
- Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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Su J, Wei Y, Vayssieres L. Stability and Performance of Sulfide-, Nitride-, and Phosphide-Based Electrodes for Photocatalytic Solar Water Splitting. J Phys Chem Lett 2017; 8:5228-5238. [PMID: 28972772 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b00772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
With the past decade of worldwide sustained efforts on artificial photosynthesis for photocatalytic solar water splitting and clean hydrogen generation by dedicated researchers and engineers from different disciplines, substantial progress has been achieved in raising its overall efficiency along with finding new photocatalysts. Various materials, systems, devices, and better fundamental understandings of the interplay between interfacial chemistry, electronic structure, and photogenerated charge dynamics involved have been developed. Nevertheless, the overall photocatalytic performance is yet to achieve its maximum theoretical limit. Moreover, the stability of well-known semiconductors (as well as novel ones) remains the biggest challenge that scientists are facing to develop durable industrial-scale devices for large-scale water oxidation and overall solar water splitting. In this Perspective, we summarize the major achievements and the different approaches carried out to improve the stability and performance of photoelectrodes based on sulfide, nitride, and phosphide semiconductors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinzhan Su
- International Research Center for Renewable Energy (IRCRE), State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, School of Energy & Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yankuan Wei
- International Research Center for Renewable Energy (IRCRE), State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, School of Energy & Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Lionel Vayssieres
- International Research Center for Renewable Energy (IRCRE), State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, School of Energy & Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University , Xi'an 710049, People's Republic of China
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Khan MA, Al-Oufi M, Toseef A, Nadeem MA, Idriss H. Comparing the Reaction Rates of Plasmonic (Gold) and Non-Plasmonic (Palladium) Metal Particles in Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production. Catal Letters 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10562-017-2197-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Kollmannsberger SL, Walenta CA, Winnerl A, Knoller F, Pereira RN, Tschurl M, Stutzmann M, Heiz U. Ethanol surface chemistry on MBE-grown GaN(0001), GaO x/GaN(0001), and Ga 2O 3(2¯01). J Chem Phys 2017; 147:124704. [PMID: 28964022 DOI: 10.1063/1.4994141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, ethanol is used as a chemical probe to study the passivation of molecular beam epitaxy-grown GaN(0001) by surface oxidation. With a high degree of oxidation, no reaction from ethanol to acetaldehyde in temperature-programmed desorption experiments is observed. The acetaldehyde formation is attributed to a mechanism based on α-H abstraction from the dissociatively bound alcohol molecule. The reactivity is related to negatively charged surface states, which are removed upon oxidation of the GaN(0001) surface. This is compared with the Ga2O3(2¯01) single crystal surface, which is found to be inert for the acetaldehyde production. These results offer a toolbox to explore the surface chemistry of nitrides and oxynitrides on an atomic scale and relate their intrinsic activity to systems under ambient atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian L Kollmannsberger
- Chair of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Constantin A Walenta
- Chair of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Andrea Winnerl
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Fabian Knoller
- Chair of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Rui N Pereira
- Walter Schottky Institute and Physics Department, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 4 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Martin Tschurl
- Chair of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Martin Stutzmann
- Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM), Schellingstr. 4, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Ueli Heiz
- Chair of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Catalysis Research Center, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, 85748 Garching, Germany
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40
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Cao D, Xiao H, Gao Q, Yang X, Luan C, Mao H, Liu J, Liu X. Fabrication and improved photoelectrochemical properties of a transferred GaN-based thin film with InGaN/GaN layers. NANOSCALE 2017; 9:11504-11510. [PMID: 28766654 DOI: 10.1039/c7nr03622a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Herein, a lift-off mesoporous GaN-based thin film, which consisted of a strong phase-separated InGaN/GaN layer and an n-GaN layer, was fabricated via an electrochemical etching method in a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution for the first time and then transferred onto quartz or n-Si substrates, acting as photoanodes during photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting in a 1 M NaCl aqueous solution. Compared to the as-grown GaN-based film, the transferred GaN-based thin films possess higher and blue-shifted light emission, presumably resulting from an increase in the surface area and stress relaxation in the InGaN/GaN layer embedded on the mesoporous n-GaN. The properties such as (i) high photoconversion efficiency, (ii) low turn-on voltage (-0.79 V versus Ag/AgCl), and (iii) outstanding stability enable the transferred films to have excellent PEC water splitting ability. Furthermore, as compared to the film transferred onto the quartz substrate, the film transferred onto the n-Si substrate exhibits higher photoconversion efficiency (2.99% at -0.10 V) due to holes (h+) in the mesoporous n-GaN layer that originate from the n-Si substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dezhong Cao
- School of Microelectronics, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China.
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41
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Zhang Y, Yin PF, Liu XH, Mao J, Kulinich SA, Du XW. Tuning Band Structure of Cadmium Chalcogenide Nanoflake Arrays via Alloying for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2017; 33:6457-6463. [PMID: 28614946 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b00878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Owing to their high extinction coefficient and moderate band gap, cadmium chalcogenides are known as common semiconductors for photoelectric conversion. Nevertheless, no ideal cadmium chalcogenide with proper band structure is available yet for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution. In this work, we modified the band structure of CdTe via alloying with Se to achieve a ternary compound (CdSe0.8Te0.2) with n-type conduction, a narrower band gap, and a more negative band position compared to those of CdSe and CdTe. This novel material exhibits strong light absorption over a wider spectrum range and generates more vigorous electrons for hydrogen reduction. As a result, a photoelectrode based on nanoflake arrays of the new material could achieve a photocurrent density 2 times that of its CdSe counterpart, outperforming similar materials previously reported in the literature. Moreover, the quick transfer of holes achieved in the novel material was found to depress photocorrosion processes, which led to improved long-term working stability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sergei A Kulinich
- Institute of Innovative Science and Technology, Tokai University , Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292, Japan
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42
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Narangari PR, Karuturi SK, Lysevych M, Hoe Tan H, Jagadish C. Improved photoelectrochemical performance of GaN nanopillar photoanodes. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:154001. [PMID: 28301329 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa61ed] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we report on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) investigation of n-GaN nanopillar (NP) photoanodes fabricated using metal organic chemical vapour deposition and the top-down approach. Substantial improvement in photocurrents is observed for GaN NP photoanodes compared to their planar counterparts. The role of carrier concentration and NP dimensions on the PEC performance of NP photoanodes is further elucidated. Photocurrent density is almost doubled for doped NP photoanodes whereas no improvement is noticed for undoped NP photoanodes. While the diameter of GaN NP is found to influence the onset potential, carrier concentration is found to affect both the onset and overpotential of the electrodes. Optical and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy characterisations are utilised to further explain the PEC results of NP photoanodes. Finally, improvement in the photostability of NP photoanodes with the addition of NiO as a co-catalyst is investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parvathala Reddy Narangari
- Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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43
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Ma D, Rong X, Zheng X, Wang W, Wang P, Schulz T, Albrecht M, Metzner S, Müller M, August O, Bertram F, Christen J, Jin P, Li M, Zhang J, Yang X, Xu F, Qin Z, Ge W, Shen B, Wang X. Exciton emission of quasi-2D InGaN in GaN matrix grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46420. [PMID: 28417975 PMCID: PMC5394418 DOI: 10.1038/srep46420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate the emission from confined excitons in the structure of a single-monolayer-thick quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) InxGa1−xN layer inserted in GaN matrix. This quasi-2D InGaN layer was successfully achieved by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and an excellent in-plane uniformity in this layer was confirmed by cathodoluminescence mapping study. The carrier dynamics have also been investigated by time-resolved and excitation-power-dependent photoluminescence, proving that the recombination occurs via confined excitons within the ultrathin quasi-2D InGaN layer even at high temperature up to ~220 K due to the enhanced exciton binding energy. This work indicates that such structure affords an interesting opportunity for developing high-performance photonic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dingyu Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xin Rong
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiantong Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Weiying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ping Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tobias Schulz
- Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth, Berlin 12489, Germany
| | | | - Sebastian Metzner
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg 39106, Germany
| | - Mathias Müller
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg 39106, Germany
| | - Olga August
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg 39106, Germany
| | - Frank Bertram
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg 39106, Germany
| | - Jürgen Christen
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Universitätsplatz 2, Magdeburg 39106, Germany
| | - Peng Jin
- Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials Science and Beijing Key Laboratory of Low-dimensional Semiconductor Materials and Devices, Institute of Semiconductors, Beijing, CAS, 100083, China
| | - Mo Li
- Microsystem &Terahertz Research Center, 596 Yinhe Road, Shuangliu, Chengdu 610200, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Microsystem &Terahertz Research Center, 596 Yinhe Road, Shuangliu, Chengdu 610200, China
| | - Xuelin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Fujun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhixin Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Weikun Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Bo Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xinqiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100871, China
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44
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Riedel M, Hölzel S, Hille P, Schörmann J, Eickhoff M, Lisdat F. InGaN/GaN nanowires as a new platform for photoelectrochemical sensors - detection of NADH. Biosens Bioelectron 2017; 94:298-304. [PMID: 28315593 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2017.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
InGaN/GaN nanowire heterostructures are presented as nanophotonic probes for the light-triggered photoelectrochemical detection of NADH. We demonstrate that photogenerated electron-hole pairs give rise to a stable anodic photocurrent whose potential- and pH-dependences exhibit broad applicability. In addition, the simultaneous measurement of the photoluminescence provides an additional tool for the analysis and evaluation of light-triggered reaction processes at the nanostructured interface. InGaN/GaN nanowire ensembles can be excited over a wide wavelength range, which avoids interferences of the photoelectrochemical response by absorption properties of the compounds to be analyzed by adjusting the excitation wavelength. The photocurrent of the nanostructures shows an NADH-dependent magnitude. The anodic current increases with rising analyte concentration in a range from 5µM to 10mM, at a comparatively low potential of 0mV vs. Ag/AgCl. Here, the InGaN/GaN nanowires reach high sensitivities of up to 91µAmM-1cm-2 (in the linear range) and provide a good reusability for repetitive NADH detection. These results demonstrate the potential of InGaN/GaN nanowire heterostructures for the defined conversion of this analyte paving the way for the realization of light-switchable sensors for the analyte or biosensors by combination with NADH producing enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Riedel
- Biosystems Technology, Institute of Applied Life Sciences, Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau, 15745 Wildau, Germany
| | - S Hölzel
- I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen, Germany; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - P Hille
- I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen, Germany; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - J Schörmann
- I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen, Germany
| | - M Eickhoff
- I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen, Germany; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - F Lisdat
- Biosystems Technology, Institute of Applied Life Sciences, Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau, 15745 Wildau, Germany.
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45
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Varadhan P, Fu HC, Priante D, Retamal JRD, Zhao C, Ebaid M, Ng TK, Ajia I, Mitra S, Roqan IS, Ooi BS, He JH. Surface Passivation of GaN Nanowires for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water-Splitting. NANO LETTERS 2017; 17:1520-1528. [PMID: 28177248 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b04559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen production via photoelectrochemical water-splitting is a key source of clean and sustainable energy. The use of one-dimensional nanostructures as photoelectrodes is desirable for photoelectrochemical water-splitting applications due to the ultralarge surface areas, lateral carrier extraction schemes, and superior light-harvesting capabilities. However, the unavoidable surface states of nanostructured materials create additional charge carrier trapping centers and energy barriers at the semiconductor-electrolyte interface, which severely reduce the solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency. In this work, we address the issue of surface states in GaN nanowire photoelectrodes by employing a simple and low-cost surface treatment method, which utilizes an organic thiol compound (i.e., 1,2-ethanedithiol). The surface-treated photocathode showed an enhanced photocurrent density of -31 mA/cm2 at -0.2 V versus RHE with an incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 18.3%, whereas untreated nanowires yielded only 8.1% efficiency. Furthermore, the surface passivation provides enhanced photoelectrochemical stability as surface-treated nanowires retained ∼80% of their initial photocurrent value and produced 8000 μmol of gas molecules over 55 h at acidic conditions (pH ∼ 0), whereas the untreated nanowires demonstrated only <4 h of photoelectrochemical stability. These findings shed new light on the importance of surface passivation of nanostructured photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purushothaman Varadhan
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hui-Chun Fu
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Davide Priante
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jose Ramon Duran Retamal
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Chao Zhao
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed Ebaid
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tien Khee Ng
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Idirs Ajia
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Somak Mitra
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Iman S Roqan
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Boon S Ooi
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jr-Hau He
- Electrical Engineering Program and ‡Materials Science and Engineering Program, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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46
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Kang J, Dang VQ, Li H, Moon S, Li P, Kim Y, Kim C, Choi J, Choi H, Liu Z, Lee H. Broadband light-absorption InGaN photoanode assisted by imprint patterning and ZnO nanowire growth for energy conversion. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2017; 28:045401. [PMID: 27981942 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/28/4/045401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In this research, an InGaN-based photoanode with a broadband light-absorption range from ultraviolet to green, patterned by imprint lithography and branched by ZnO nanowires, has been applied to water splitting. Over the solar spectrum range, the absorbance increases due to the scattering effect of the micro-structure compared to that of flat surface InGaN, which reaches a maximum of over 90% at 380 nm as ZnO nanowires are further employed in this novel photoanode. Consequently, the induced photocurrent density of the InGaN photoanode with a domelike structure and ZnO nanowires on the surface shows a remarkable enhancement of seven times that of the one with a flat surface. Further investigation indicates the wet-etching process for defect removal has an essential impact on photocurrent efficiency. This design demonstrates an innovative approach for water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Kang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 137-713, Korea
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47
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Kamimura J, Bogdanoff P, Corfdir P, Brandt O, Riechert H, Geelhaar L. Broad Band Light Absorption and High Photocurrent of (In,Ga)N Nanowire Photoanodes Resulting from a Radial Stark Effect. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:34490-34496. [PMID: 27936545 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b12874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The photoelectrochemical properties of (In,Ga)N nanowire photoanodes are investigated using H2O2 as a hole scavenger to prevent photocorrosion. Under simulated solar illumination, In0.16Ga0.84N nanowires grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy show a high photocurrent of 2.7 mA/cm2 at 1.2 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode. This value is almost the theoretical maximum expected from the corresponding band gap (2.8 eV) for homogeneous bulk material without taking into account surface effects. These nanowires exhibit a higher incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency over a broader wavelength range and a higher photocurrent than a compact layer with higher In content of 28%. These results are explained by the combination of built-in electric fields at the nanowire sidewall surfaces and compositional fluctuations in (In,Ga)N, which gives rise to a radial Stark effect. This effect enables spatially indirect transitions at energies much lower than the band gap. The resulting broad band light absorption leads to high photocurrents. This benefit of the radial Stark effect in (In,Ga)N nanowires for solar harvesting applications opens up the perspective to break the theoretical limit for photocurrents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jumpei Kamimura
- Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Bogdanoff
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Institute for Solar Fuels , Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Pierre Corfdir
- Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Brandt
- Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Henning Riechert
- Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lutz Geelhaar
- Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin, Germany
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48
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Hou Y, Yu X, Syed ZA, Shen S, Bai J, Wang T. GaN nano-pyramid arrays as an efficient photoelectrode for solar water splitting. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2016; 27:455401. [PMID: 27727152 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/27/45/455401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A prototype photoelectrode has been fabricated using a GaN nano-pyramid array structure grown on a cost-effective Si (111) substrate, demonstrating a significant improvement in performance of solar-powered water splitting compared with any planar GaN photoelectrode. Such a nano-pyramid structure leads to enhanced optical absorption as a result of a multi-scattering process which can effectively produce a reduction in reflectance. A simulation based on a finite-difference time-domain approach indicates that the nano-pyramid architecture enables incident light to be concentrated within the nano-pyramids as a result of micro-cavity effects, further enhancing optical absorption. Furthermore, the shape of the nano-pyramid further facilitates the photo-generated carrier transportation by enhancing a hole-transfer efficiency. All these features as a result of the nano-pyramid configuration lead to a large photocurrent of 1 mA cm-2 under an illumination density of 200 mW cm-2, with a peak incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 46.5% at ∼365 nm, around the band edge emission wavelength of GaN. The results presented are expected to pave the way for the fabrication of GaN based photoelectrodes with a high energy conversion efficiency of solar powered water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Hou
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK
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49
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Li W, Zhang Y, Tian G, Xie S, Xu Q, Wang L, Tian J, Bu Y. Fabrication of graphene-modified nano-sized red phosphorus for enhanced photocatalytic performance. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molcata.2016.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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50
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Kibria MG, Qiao R, Yang W, Boukahil I, Kong X, Chowdhury FA, Trudeau ML, Ji W, Guo H, Himpsel FJ, Vayssieres L, Mi Z. Atomic-Scale Origin of Long-Term Stability and High Performance of p-GaN Nanowire Arrays for Photocatalytic Overall Pure Water Splitting. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2016; 28:8388-8397. [PMID: 27456856 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201602274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The atomic-scale origin of the unusually high performance and long-term stability of wurtzite p-GaN oriented nanowire arrays is revealed. Nitrogen termination of both the polar (0001¯) top face and the nonpolar (101¯0) side faces of the nanowires is essential for long-term stability and high efficiency. Such a distinct atomic configuration ensures not only stability against (photo) oxidation in air and in water/electrolyte but, as importantly, also provides the necessary overall reverse crystal polarization needed for efficient hole extraction in p-GaN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Golam Kibria
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A0E9, Canada
| | - Ruimin Qiao
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Wanli Yang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Idris Boukahil
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Xianghua Kong
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A2T8, Canada
- Department of Physics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Micro-Nano Devices, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, P. R. China
| | - Faqrul Alam Chowdhury
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A0E9, Canada
| | - Michel L Trudeau
- Science des Matériaux, IREQ, Hydro-Québec, Varennes, QC, J3×1S1, Canada
| | - Wei Ji
- Department of Physics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Micro-Nano Devices, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872, P. R. China
| | - Hong Guo
- Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A2T8, Canada
| | - F J Himpsel
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
| | - Lionel Vayssieres
- International Research Center for Renewable Energy, School of Energy & Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, P. R. China.
| | - Zetian Mi
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A0E9, Canada.
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