Foamy Photocathode with Cu2O Nanowire Arrays Decorated with Cu2O and Carbon Layer for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution

Cu2O based photoelectrodes have demonstrated an impressive photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance in solar hydrogen evolution. However, Cu2O is prone to photo-corrosion in the electrolyte, and the limited electron diffusion length restrains the efficient collection of photogenerated charges. In this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Electrochemical Society 2019, Vol.166 (10), p.H452-H458
Main Authors: Qu, Yuqi, Qian, Jiangrui, Liu, Jing, Yao, Li, Zhao, Liping, Song, Xuefeng, Zhang, Peng, Gao, Lian
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Cu2O based photoelectrodes have demonstrated an impressive photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance in solar hydrogen evolution. However, Cu2O is prone to photo-corrosion in the electrolyte, and the limited electron diffusion length restrains the efficient collection of photogenerated charges. In this work, Cu2O nanowire (NW) arrays have been grown on Cu foam substrates. The performance and stability of Cu2O NW photoelectrode were further improved by adopting an additional Cu2O layer and a surface protection layer of carbon. This configuration, Carbon/Cu2O/Cu2O NW/Cu foam, showed a continuous photocurrent of ∼ 4.2 mA*cm−2 in 3600 s in neutral Na2SO4 solution.
ISSN:1945-7111
DOI:10.1149/2.0931910jes