Interface-Engineered Ni-Coated CdTe Heterojunction Photocathode for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution


Jian, Jing-Xin, Xie, Luo-Han, Mumtaz, Asim ORCID: 0000-0002-8982-5206, Baines, Tom, Major, Jonathan D ORCID: 0000-0002-5554-1985, Tong, Qing-Xiao and Sun, Jianwu (2023) Interface-Engineered Ni-Coated CdTe Heterojunction Photocathode for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES, 15 (17). pp. 21057-21065. ISSN 1944-8244, 1944-8252

[thumbnail of Sb2Se3-NiP main manuscript.docx] Text
Sb2Se3-NiP main manuscript.docx - Unspecified
Download (4MB)
[thumbnail of Manuscript_JX_JWS_AMcommentsv2.docx] Text
Manuscript_JX_JWS_AMcommentsv2.docx - Unspecified
Download (1MB)

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting for hydrogen production using the CdTe photocathode has attracted much interest due to its excellent sunlight absorption property and energy band structure. This work presents a study of engineered interfacial energetics of CdTe photocathodes by deposition of CdS, TiO<sub>2</sub>, and Ni layers. A heterostructure CdTe/CdS/TiO<sub>2</sub>/Ni photocathode was fabricated by depositing a 100-nm <i>n</i>-type CdS layer on a <i>p</i>-type CdTe surface, with 50 nm TiO<sub>2</sub> as a protective layer and a 10 nm Ni layer as a co-catalyst. The CdTe/CdS/TiO<sub>2</sub>/Ni photocathode exhibits a high photocurrent density (<i>J</i><sub>ph</sub>) of 8.16 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> at 0 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (V<sub>RHE</sub>) and a positive-shifted onset potential (<i>E</i><sub>onset</sub>) of 0.70 V<sub>RHE</sub> for PEC hydrogen evolution under 100 mW/cm<sup>2</sup> AM1.5G illumination. We further demonstrate that the CdTe/CdS <i>p</i>-<i>n</i> junction promotes the separation of photogenerated carriers, the TiO<sub>2</sub> layer protects the electrode from corrosion, and the Ni catalyst improves the charge transfer across the electrode/electrolyte interface. This work provides new insights for designing noble metal-free photocathodes toward solar hydrogen development.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: cadmium telluride, photoelectrochemical, water splitting, hydrogen evolution, interface engineering
Divisions: Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Physical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 28 Apr 2023 10:02
Last Modified: 06 Dec 2024 18:25
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c01476
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3170039
Altmetric
Share
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)