Solar Fuels: Visible-Light-Driven Generation of Dihydrogen at p-Type Silicon Electrocatalysed by Molybdenum Hydrides

We show that a robust molybdenum hydride system can sustain photoelectrocatalysis of a hydrogen evolution reaction at boron-doped, hydrogen-terminated, p-type silicon. The photovoltage for the system is about 600-650?mV and the current densities, which can be sustained at the photocathode in non-catalytic and catalytic regimes, are similar to those at a photoinert vitreous carbon electrode. The kinetics of electrocatalysed hydrogen evolution at the photocathode are also very similar to those measured at vitreous carbon-evidently visible light does not significantly perturb the catalytic mechanism. Importantly, we show that the doped (1-10?Ω?cm) p-type Si can function perfectly well in the dark as an ohmic conductor and this has allowed direct comparison of the cyclic voltammetric behaviour of the response of the system under dark and illuminated conditions at the same electrode. The p-type Si we have employed optimally harvests light energy in the 600-700?nm region and with 37?mW?cm(-2) illumination in this range; the light to electrochemical energy conversion is estimated to be 2.8?%. The current yield of hydrogen under broad tungsten halide lamp illumination at 90?mW?cm(-2) is (91±5)?% with a corresponding chemical yield of (98±5)?%.