High Efficiency Si Photocathode Protected by Multifunctional GaN Nanostructures

Nano Letters
S VankaZ Mi

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a clean and environmentally friendly method for solar hydrogen generation. Its practical application, however, has been limited by the poor stability of semiconductor photoelectrodes. In this work, we demonstrate the use of GaN nanostructures as a multifunctional protection layer for an otherwise unstable, low-performance photocathode. The direct integration of GaN nanostructures on n+-p Si wafer not only protects Si surface from corrosion but also significantly reduces the charge carrier transfer resistance at the semiconductor/liquid junction, leading to long-term stability (>100 h) at a large current density (>35 mA/cm2) under 1 sun illumination. The measured applied bias photon-to-current efficiency of 10.5% is among the highest values ever reported for a Si photocathode. Given that both Si and GaN are already widely produced in industry, our studies offer a viable path for achieving high-efficiency and highly stable semiconductor photoelectrodes for solar water splitting with proven manufacturability and scalability.

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Dec 2, 2017·Nanotechnology·Joshua ButsonChennupati Jagadish

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Citations

May 16, 2019·Chemical Communications : Chem Comm·Sheng ChuZetian Mi
Jan 5, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Baowen ZhouZetian Mi
Mar 17, 2019·Optics Express·Ronglei FanMingrong Shen
Jul 3, 2021·Journal of the American Chemical Society·Wan Jae DongZetian Mi
Jul 3, 2019·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Joshua D ButsonChennupati Jagadish

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