Issue 3, 2024

Gas-fed photoelectrochemical reactions sustained by phosphotungstic acid as an inorganic surface electrolyte

Abstract

Gas-fed photoelectrochemical (PEC) system with a porous photoelectrode and proton-exchange membrane (PEM) has the potential to produce hydrogen from water vapour and activate methane at room temperature. To effectively drive gas-phase PEM-PEC reactions, porous photoelectrodes should be coated with a solid electrolyte of perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomers. However, fluorocarbon-based ionomers were not chemically stable in vapour-fed PEC systems. Herein, we report that polyoxometalate, an inorganic proton-conducting material, may be employed as the surface electrolyte of a WO3 porous photoelectrode for vapour-fed water splitting and methane activation under visible light irradiation. We demonstrate that the porous WO3 photoanode modified with phosphotungstic acid (H3PW12O40) induces PEC reactions, including the oxygen evolution reaction and methane conversion, under gas feeding. Additionally, we demonstrated improved durability by using the inorganic surface electrolyte.

Graphical abstract: Gas-fed photoelectrochemical reactions sustained by phosphotungstic acid as an inorganic surface electrolyte

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 nov 2023
Accepted
16 feb 2024
First published
04 mar 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Energy Adv., 2024,3, 558-563

Gas-fed photoelectrochemical reactions sustained by phosphotungstic acid as an inorganic surface electrolyte

F. Amano, K. Tsushiro and C. Akamoto, Energy Adv., 2024, 3, 558 DOI: 10.1039/D3YA00568B

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