A Stable Integrated Photoelectrochemical Reactor for H₂ Production from Water Attains a Solar-to-Hydrogen Efficiency of 18 % at 15 Suns and 13 % at 207 Suns.

ABSTRACT: The major challenge in solar water splitting to H₂ and O₂ is in making a stable and affordable system for large-scale applications. We have designed, fabricated, and tested a photoelectrochemical reactor characterized as follows: 1) it comprises an integrated device to reduce the balance of the system cost, 2) it utilizes concentrated sunlight to reduce the photoabsorber cost, and 3) it employs and alkaline electrolyte to reduce catalyst cost and eliminate external thermal management needs. The system consists of an III-V-based photovoltaic cell integrated with Ni foil as an O₂ evolution catalyst that also protects the cell from corrosion. At low light concentration, without the use of optical lenses, the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency was 18.3 %, while

SUBMITTER: Khan MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7496156 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature