Highest Solar-to-Hydrogen Conversion Efficiency in Cu₂ZnSnS₄ Photocathodes and Its Directly Unbiased Solar Seawater Splitting.

ABSTRACT: Despite being an excellent candidate for a photocathode, Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) performance is limited by suboptimal bulk and interfacial charge carrier dynamics. In this work, we introduce a facile and versatile CZTS precursor seed layer engineering technique, which significantly enhances crystal growth and mitigates detrimental defects in the post-sulfurized CZTS light-absorbing films. This effective optimization of defects and charge carrier dynamics results in a highly efficient CZTS/CdS/TiO₂/Pt thin-film photocathode, achieving a record half-cell solar-to-hydrogen (HC-STH) conversion efficiency of 9.91%. Additionally, the photocathode exhibits a highest photocurrent density (J_ph) of 29.44 mA cm^-2 (at 0 V_RHE) and favorable ons

SUBMITTER: Abbas M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12084205 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature