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Integration of a Hydrogenase in a Lead Halide Perovskite Photoelectrode for Tandem Solar Water Splitting.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Authors

Edwardes Moore, Esther 
Andrei, Virgil 
Zacarias, Sónia 
Pereira, Inês A C 
Reisner, Erwin 

Abstract

Lead halide perovskite solar cells are notoriously moisture-sensitive, but recent encapsulation strategies have demonstrated their potential application as photoelectrodes in aqueous solution. However, perovskite photoelectrodes rely on precious metal co-catalysts, and their combination with biological materials remains elusive in integrated devices. Here, we interface [NiFeSe] hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough, a highly active enzyme for H2 generation, with a triple cation mixed halide perovskite. The perovskite-hydrogenase photoelectrode produces a photocurrent of -5 mA cm-2 at 0 V vs RHE during AM1.5G irradiation, is stable for 12 h and the hydrogenase exhibits a turnover number of 1.9 × 106. The positive onset potential of +0.8 V vs RHE allows its combination with a BiVO4 water oxidation photoanode to give a self-sustaining, bias-free photoelectrochemical tandem system for overall water splitting (solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 1.1%). This work demonstrates the compatibility of immersed perovskite elements with biological catalysts to produce hybrid photoelectrodes with benchmark performance, which establishes their utility in semiartificial photosynthesis.

Description

Keywords

Journal Title

ACS energy letters

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2380-8195

Volume Title

5

Publisher

Sponsorship
European Research Council (682833)