A Cu3BiS3 based photocathode for solar water splitting for hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Copper based compound semiconductor photoelectrodes have attracted much attention from researchers in the solar water splitting field. As a new copper based compound semiconductor for photoelectrochemical devices, Cu₃BiS₃(CBS) based photoelectrodes present a very promising onset potential as high as 0.9 V_RHE. It is expected that the cost effective and efficient CBS photocathodes will play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable and large-scale hydrogen production by water splitting, thereby mitigating the challenges posed by energy crises and environmental issues. The rational design of photocathodes with excellent performance has become a hotspot of current research. Cu₃BiS₃ (CBS) stands out due to its low cost, non-toxicity, abundant earthly reserves, and eco-friendliness. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the research progress concerning CBS photocathodes, primarily from the perspective of structure–property relationships. Finally, the existing problems and prospects are briefly analyzed, to provide some positive suggestions for the development of CBS photocathodes.