A Si Photocathode Protected and Activated with a Ti and Ni Composite Film for Solar Hydrogen Production |
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| Authors: | Yi‐Hsuan Lai Dr. Hyun S. Park Dr. Jenny Z. Zhang Peter D. Matthews Prof. Dominic S. Wright Dr. Erwin Reisner |
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| Affiliation: | Christian Doppler Laboratory for Sustainable SynGas Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW (UK) http://www‐reisner.ch.cam.ac.uk/ |
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| Abstract: | An efficient, stable and scalable hybrid photoelectrode for visible‐light‐driven H2 generation in an aqueous pH 9.2 electrolyte solution is reported. The photocathode consists of a p‐type Si substrate layered with a Ti and Ni‐containing composite film, which acts as both a protection and electrocatalyst layer on the Si substrate. The film is prepared by the simple drop casting of the molecular single‐source precursor, [{Ti2(OEt)9(NiCl)}2] (TiNipre), onto the p‐Si surface at room temperature, followed by cathodic in situ activation to form the catalytically active TiNi film (TiNicat). The p‐Si|TiNicat photocathode exhibits prolonged hydrogen generation with a stable photocurrent of approximately ?5 mA cm?2 at 0 V vs. RHE in an aqueous pH 9.2 borate solution for several hours, and serves as a benchmark non‐noble photocathode for solar H2 evolution that operates efficiently under neutral–alkaline conditions. |
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| Keywords: | hydrogen evolution photocatalysis photosynthesis silicon water splitting |
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