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Efficient and Sustained Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation by Cobalt Oxide/Silicon Photoanodes with Nanotextured Interfaces

2014; American Chemical Society; Volume: 136; Issue: 17 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1021/ja501513t

1943-2984

Jinhui Yang, Karl Walczak, Eitan Anzenberg, Francesca M. Toma, Guangbi Yuan, Jeffrey W. Beeman, Adam Schwartzberg, Yongjing Lin, Mark Hettick, Ali Javey, Joel W. Ager, Junko Yano, Heinz Frei, Ian D. Sharp,

Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides

Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of cobalt oxide onto nanotextured p+n-Si devices enables efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation and effective protection of Si from corrosion at high pH (pH 13.6). A photocurrent density of 17 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs RHE, saturation current density of 30 mA/cm2, and photovoltage greater than 600 mV were achieved under simulated solar illumination. Sustained photoelectrochemical water oxidation was observed with no detectable degradation after 24 h. Enhanced performance of the nanotextured structure, compared to planar Si, is attributed to a reduced silicon oxide thickness that provides more intimate interfacial contact between the light absorber and catalyst. This work highlights a general approach to improve the performance and stability of Si photoelectrodes by engineering the catalyst/semiconductor interface.