Issue 10, 2015

Interfacial band-edge energetics for solar fuels production

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has received growing attention as a potential pathway to replace fossil fuels and produce a clean, renewable, and sustainable source of fuel. To achieve overall water splitting and the associated production of solar fuels, complex devices are needed to efficiently capture light from the sun, separate photogenerated charges, and catalyze reduction and oxidation reactions. To date, the highest performing solar fuels devices rely on multi-component systems, which introduce interfaces that can be associated with further performance loss due to thermodynamic and kinetic considerations. In this review, we identify several of the most important interfaces used in PEC water splitting, summarize methods to characterize them, and highlight approaches to mitigating associated loss mechanisms.

Graphical abstract: Interfacial band-edge energetics for solar fuels production

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
12 Jun 2015
Accepted
12 Aug 2015
First published
13 Aug 2015

Energy Environ. Sci., 2015,8, 2851-2862

Author version available

Interfacial band-edge energetics for solar fuels production

W. A. Smith, I. D. Sharp, N. C. Strandwitz and J. Bisquert, Energy Environ. Sci., 2015, 8, 2851 DOI: 10.1039/C5EE01822F

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