Internal quantum efficiency higher than 100% achieved by combining doping and quantum effects for photocatalytic overall water splitting

Youzi Zhang, YuKe Li, Xu Xin, Yijin Wang, Peng Guo, Ruiling Wang, Bilin Wang, Wenjing Huang, Ana Jorge Sobrido and Xuanhua Li ()
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Youzi Zhang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
YuKe Li: Chinese University of Hong Kong
Xu Xin: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Yijin Wang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Peng Guo: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Ruiling Wang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Bilin Wang: Northwestern Polytechnical University
Wenjing Huang: Guangdong University of Technology
Ana Jorge Sobrido: Queen Mary University of London
Xuanhua Li: Northwestern Polytechnical University

Nature Energy, 2023, vol. 8, issue 5, 504-514

Abstract: Abstract Multiple exciton generation (MEG), where two or more electron–hole pairs are produced from the absorption of one high-energy photon, could increase the efficiency of light absorbing devices. However, demonstrations of the effect are still scarce in photocatalytic hydrogen production. Moreover, many photocatalytic systems for overall water splitting suffer from poor charge carrier separation. Here we show that a CdTe quantum dot/vanadium-doped indium sulphide (CdTe/V-In2S3) photocatalyst has a built-in electric field and cascade energy band structure sufficient to effectively extract excitons and separate carriers, allowing MEG to be exploited for hydrogen production. We achieve a tunable energy band structure through quantum effects in CdTe and doping engineering of V-In2S3, which induces a 14-fold enhancement in the CdTe/V-In2S3 interfacial built-in electric field intensity relative to pristine CdTe/V-In2S3. We report an internal quantum efficiency of 114% at 350 nm for photocatalytic hydrogen production, demonstrating the utilization of MEG effects. The solar-to-hydrogen efficiency is 1.31%.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-023-01242-7

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