Issue 43, 2016

Carbon containing conductive networks in composite particle-based photoanodes for solar water splitting

Abstract

Composite materials are formed between carbon nanotubes or graphene oxide and photocatalytically active LaTiO2N particles by a scalable solution-based method. Structural analysis by SEM, UV/Vis and profilometry reveals that long carbon nanotubes are able to form large agglomerates with LaTiO2N. These agglomerates result in photoelectrodes with a rough, open structure and freely accessible LaTiO2N surface. Graphene oxide, however, forms smaller agglomerates and, in consequence, smoother electrode surfaces. In addition, it covers the LaTiO2N surface already at low C content (>0.05 wt%). Graphene oxide does not improve the photoelectrochemical performance significantly. Carbon nanotubes, however, build a conductive network throughout the electrode film resulting in nearly identical performances under front and back side illumination. While electrodes prepared without carbon material exhibit a drop in performance for thicker films, carbon nanotubes composite films see an increase with a best in class performance for co-catalyst free electrodes of nearly 400 μA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE at 10.7 μm thickness. The addition of co-catalysts improves the performance further to 2.1 mA cm−2. These results demonstrate that limitations in the photoelectrochemical performance of particle-based photoelectrodes induced by high charge transfer resistance can be overcome by composite formation with carbon nanotubes, opening up a route towards cheap and scalable fabrication of efficient photoelectrodes.

Graphical abstract: Carbon containing conductive networks in composite particle-based photoanodes for solar water splitting

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Jul 2016
Accepted
14 Oct 2016
First published
17 Oct 2016

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016,4, 17087-17095

Carbon containing conductive networks in composite particle-based photoanodes for solar water splitting

S. Dilger, S. Landsmann, M. Trottmann and S. Pokrant, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 17087 DOI: 10.1039/C6TA06360H

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