A semitransparent particulate photoanode composed of SrTiO powder anchored on titania nanosheets

• Published in: Sustainable energy & fuels 2021-09, Vol.5 (19), p.485-4857
• Main Authors: Kageshima, Yosuke, Momose, Haruka, Takagi, Fumiaki, Fujisawa, Sora, Yamada, Tetsuya, Teshima, Katsuya, Domen, Kazunari, Nishikiori, Hiromasa
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 2398-4902
• DOI: 10.1039/d1se00914a

The development of semitransparent photoanodes is necessary to permit the construction of tandem-type photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells for water splitting in conjunction with an appropriate photocathode as the bottom cell. The fabrication of photoelectrodes from particulate material is especially desirable as a means of obtaining economically viable artificial photosynthetic systems. However, there have been no reports of efficient particulate semitransparent photoanodes applicable to tandem-type PEC cells. In this study, a particulate semitransparent photoanode composed of SrTiO 3 (STO) powder anchored on a layer of titania nanosheets (TNSs) is demonstrated. The TNS layer functioned to anchor the particulate material and also served as a conductive layer. A tandem-type PEC cell combining a particulate semitransparent STO photoanode and a particulate Cu 1.9 Sn 0.38 Ge 0.62 S 3 (CTGS) photocathode as the top and bottom cells, respectively, successfully performed overall water splitting without an external bias voltage under simulated sunlight. The present study provides a novel and versatile methodology for the fabrication of semitransparent photoanodes from particulate photocatalytic material. A particulate semitransparent photoanode composed of SrTiO 3 powder anchored on a titania nanosheets layer is developed. A tandem-type photoelectrochemical cell employing particulate photoanode and photocathode performed overall water splitting.