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Metal-encapsulated organolead halide perovskite photocathode for solar-driven hydrogen evolution in water.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Crespo-Quesada, Micaela 
Pazos-Outón, Luis M 
Warnan, Julien 
Kuehnel, Moritz F 
Friend, Richard H 

Abstract

Lead-halide perovskites have triggered the latest breakthrough in photovoltaic technology. Despite the great promise shown by these materials, their instability towards water even in the presence of low amounts of moisture makes them, a priori, unsuitable for their direct use as light harvesters in aqueous solution for the production of hydrogen through water splitting. Here, we present a simple method that enables their use in photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen evolution while immersed in an aqueous solution. Field's metal, a fusible InBiSn alloy, is used to efficiently protect the perovskite from water while simultaneously allowing the photogenerated electrons to reach a Pt hydrogen evolution catalyst. A record photocurrent density of -9.8 mA cm(-2) at 0 V versus RHE with an onset potential as positive as 0.95±0.03 V versus RHE is obtained. The photoelectrodes show remarkable stability retaining more than 80% of their initial photocurrent for ∼1 h under continuous illumination.

Description

Keywords

0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural)

Journal Title

Nature Communications

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2041-1723
2041-1723

Volume Title

7

Publisher

Springer Nature
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/M005143/1)
European Commission (623061)
The research leading to these results has received funding from the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF under REA Grant Agreement No. (623061; M.C-Q.). This work was also supported by the Christian Doppler Research Association (Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy and the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development) and the OMV Group (J.W., M.F.K. and E.R.); L.M.P.-O. would like to thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK (EPSRC), the Cambridge Home European Scholarship Scheme (CHESS) and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).