Photoelectrochemical CO2 Reduction by a Molecular Cobalt(II) Catalyst on Planar and Nanostructured Si Surfaces |
| |
| Authors: | Da He Tong Jin Wei Li Sebastian Pantovich Prof. Dunwei Wang Prof. Gonghu Li |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA;2. Department of Chemistry, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA |
| |
| Abstract: | In the presence of a molecular CoII catalyst, CO2 reduction occurred at much less negative potentials on Si photoelectrodes than on an Au electrode. The addition of 1 % H2O significantly improved the performance of the CoII catalyst. Photovoltages of 580 and 320 mV were obtained on Si nanowires and a planar Si photoelectrode, respectively. This difference likely originated from the fact that the multifaceted Si nanowires are better in light harvesting and charge transfer than the planar Si surface. |
| |
| Keywords: | molecular catalysts nanostructures photoelectrochemistry silicon solar fuels |
|
|
