Cobalt phosphate-modified barium-doped tantalum nitride nanorod photoanode with 1.5% solar energy conversion efficiency

Yanbo Li, Li Zhang, Almudena Torres-Pardo, Jose M. González-Calbet, Yanhang Ma, Peter Oleynikov, Osamu Terasaki, Shunsuke Asahina, Masahide Shima, Dongkyu Cha, Lan Zhao, Kazuhiro Takanabe, Jun Kubota and Kazunari Domen ()
Additional contact information
Yanbo Li: The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Li Zhang: The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Almudena Torres-Pardo: Facultad de Químicas, Universidad Complutense
Jose M. González-Calbet: Facultad de Químicas, Universidad Complutense
Yanhang Ma: Stockholm University
Peter Oleynikov: Stockholm University
Osamu Terasaki: Stockholm University
Shunsuke Asahina: SM Application Group, JEOL Ltd., 1-2 Musashino 3-Chome Akisima
Masahide Shima: SM Application Group, JEOL Ltd., 1-2 Musashino 3-Chome Akisima
Dongkyu Cha: KAUST Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Lan Zhao: KAUST Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Kazuhiro Takanabe: KAUST Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Jun Kubota: The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
Kazunari Domen: The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Spurred by the decreased availability of fossil fuels and global warming, the idea of converting solar energy into clean fuels has been widely recognized. Hydrogen produced by photoelectrochemical water splitting using sunlight could provide a carbon dioxide lean fuel as an alternative to fossil fuels. A major challenge in photoelectrochemical water splitting is to develop an efficient photoanode that can stably oxidize water into oxygen. Here we report an efficient and stable photoanode that couples an active barium-doped tantalum nitride nanostructure with a stable cobalt phosphate co-catalyst. The effect of barium doping on the photoelectrochemical activity of the photoanode is investigated. The photoanode yields a maximum solar energy conversion efficiency of 1.5%, which is more than three times higher than that of state-of-the-art single-photon photoanodes. Further, stoichiometric oxygen and hydrogen are stably produced on the photoanode and the counter electrode with Faraday efficiency of almost unity for 100 min.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3566

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