Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Using Si Microwire Arrays

By Boettcher, Shannon W.; Warren, Emily L.; Putnam, Morgan C.; Santori, Elizabeth A.; Turner-Evans, Daniel; Kelzenberg, Michael D.; Walter, Michael G.; McKone, James R.; Brunschwig, Bruce S.; Atwater, Harry A. & Lewis, Nathan S.
Published in Journal of the American Chemical Society NULL 2011

Abstract

Arrays of B-doped p-Si microwires, diffusion-doped with P to form a radial n+ emitter and subsequently coated with a 1.5-nm-thick discontinuous film of evaporated Pt, were used as photocathodes for H2 evolution from water. These electrodes yielded thermodynamically based energy-conversion efficiencies >5% under 1 sun solar simulation, despite absorbing less than 50% of the above-band-gap incident photons. Analogous p-Si wire-array electrodes yielded efficiencies <0.2%, largely limited by the low photovoltage generated at the p-Si/H2O junction.

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