Hydrogel protection strategy to stabilize water-splitting photoelectrodes

Jeiwan Tan, Byungjun Kang, Kyungmin Kim, Donyoung Kang, Hyungsoo Lee, Sunihl Ma, Gyumin Jang, Hyungsuk Lee and Jooho Moon ()
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Jeiwan Tan: Yonsei University
Byungjun Kang: Yonsei University
Kyungmin Kim: Yonsei University
Donyoung Kang: Yonsei University
Hyungsoo Lee: Yonsei University
Sunihl Ma: Yonsei University
Gyumin Jang: Yonsei University
Jooho Moon: Yonsei University

Nature Energy, 2022, vol. 7, issue 6, 537-547

Abstract: Abstract Photoelectrochemical water splitting is an attractive solar-to-hydrogen pathway. However, the lifetime of photoelectrochemical devices is hampered by severe photocorrosion of semiconductors and instability of co-catalysts. Here we report a strategy for stabilizing photoelectrochemical devices that use a polyacrylamide hydrogel as a highly permeable and transparent device-on-top protector. A hydrogel-protected Sb2Se3 photocathode exhibits stability over 100 h, maintaining ~70% of the initial photocurrent, and the degradation rate gradually decreases to the saturation level. The structural stability of a Pt/TiO2/Sb2Se3 photocathode remains unchanged beyond this duration, and effective bubble escape is ensured through the micro gas tunnel formed in the hydrogel to achieve a mechanically stable protector. We demonstrate the versatility of the device-on-top hydrogel protector under a wide electrolyte pH range and by using a SnS photocathode and a BiVO4 photoanode with ~500 h of lifetime.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-022-01042-5

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