- Research
Stabilized Si Microwire Arrays for Solar-Driven H2O Oxidation
Shaner, M. R., Hu, S., Sun, K. & Lewis, N. S. Stabilization of Si microwire arrays for solar-driven H2O oxidation to O2(g) in 1.0 M KOH(aq) using conformal coatings of amorphous TiO2. Energy & Environmental Science 8, 203-207, DOI: 10.1039/c4ee03012e (2015).
Scientific Achievement
Atomic-layer deposition of TiO2combined with sputtering of NiCrOxoxygen-evolution catalyst on Si microwires yields robust microwire-array photoanodes.
Significance & impact
Si microwire arrays were protected from passivation and corrosion in 1.0 M KOH(aq) electrolyte, while generating O2 for >2200 h with near 100% Faradaic efficiency under simulated 1 Sun illumination.
Adapted from Shaner, M. R., Hu, S., Sun, K. & Lewis, N. S. Stabilization of Si microwire arrays for solar-driven H2O oxidation to O2(g) in 1.0 M KOH(aq) using conformal coatings of amorphous TiO2. Energy & Environmental Science 8, 203-207, DOI: 10.1039/c4ee03012e (2015) with permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry.
Left: SEM Image of a fully processed Si microwire array; right: current desntiy versus time for a Si microwire-array photoelectrode under 1 Sun simulated illumination in 1.0 M KOH(aq).
Research Details
- Arrays of n-type and np+-radial junction Si microwires were coated with ~94 nm of TiO2 protective coating ~40 nm of NiCrOx catalyst.
- 10-h interval stability tests show no significant change in photocurrent density, open-circuit potential, or fill factors.
- Accounting for the 20% capacity factor of sunlight, the 2200 h of continuous operation contained the same amount of charge as would be passed during >1 year of outdoor operation.
Contact: nslewis@caltech.edu