Photoassisted Oxygen Reduction Reaction in H2–O2 Fuel Cells |
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| Authors: | Dr Bingqing Zhang Dr Shengyang Wang Dr Wenjun Fan Dr Weiguang Ma Dr Zhenxing Liang Prof Jingying Shi Prof Shijun Liao Prof Can Li |
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| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, Liaoning, China;2. Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Technology of Guangdong Province & Key Laboratory of New Energy Technology of Guangdong University, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangdong, China |
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| Abstract: | The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a key step in H2–O2 fuel cells, which, however, suffers from slow kinetics even for state‐of‐the‐art catalysts. In this work, by making use of photocatalysis, the ORR was significantly accelerated with a polymer semiconductor (polyterthiophene). The onset potential underwent a positive shift from 0.66 to 1.34 V, and the current was enhanced by a factor of 44 at 0.6 V. The improvement was further confirmed in a proof‐of‐concept light‐driven H2–O2 fuel cell, in which the open circuit voltage (Voc) increased from 0.64 to 1.18 V, and the short circuit current (Jsc) was doubled. This novel tandem structure combining a polymer solar cell and a fuel cell enables the simultaneous utilization of photo‐ and electrochemical energy, showing promising potential for applications in energy conversion and storage. |
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| Keywords: | electrocatalysis fuel cells oxygen reduction reaction photocatalysis polymers |
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