Sunlight absorption in water - efficiency and design implications for photoelectrochemical devices

Sunlight absorption in water has a critical impact on solar fuel generation by direct photoelectrolysis because devices are commonly illuminated through the aqueous electrolyte. We show the relevant reference spectra, calculate fundamental solar-to-hydrogen efficiency prospects, and discuss the desi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy & environmental science 2014, Vol.7 (9), p.2951-2956
Main Authors: Döscher, H, Geisz, J. F, Deutsch, T. G, Turner, J. A
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Sunlight absorption in water has a critical impact on solar fuel generation by direct photoelectrolysis because devices are commonly illuminated through the aqueous electrolyte. We show the relevant reference spectra, calculate fundamental solar-to-hydrogen efficiency prospects, and discuss the design implications for unassisted solar water-splitting devices. Sunlight absorption within the electrolyte impacts the performance and design of high-efficiency tandem PEC devices as evidenced by detailed balance calculations.
ISSN:1754-5692
1754-5706
DOI:10.1039/c4ee01753f