Floating perovskite-BiVO4 devices for scalable solar fuel production
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Authors
Andrei, Virgil
Ucoski, Geani
Pornrungroj, Chanon
Uswachoke, Chawit
Wang, Qian
Achilleos, Demetra
Kasap, Hatice
Sokol, Katarzyna
Jagt, Robert
Lu, haijiao
Lawson, Takashi
Wagner, Andreas
Pike, Sebastian
Wright, Dominic
Hoye, Robert
MacManus-Driscoll, Judith
Joyce, Hannah
Friend, Richard
Journal Title
Nature
ISSN
0028-0836
Publisher
Nature Research
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Andrei, V., Ucoski, G., Pornrungroj, C., Uswachoke, C., Wang, Q., Achilleos, D., Kasap, H., et al. Floating perovskite-BiVO4 devices for scalable solar fuel production. Nature https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.85631
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) artificial leaves hold the potential to lower the costs of sustainable solar fuel production by integrating light harvesting and catalysis within one compact device. However, current deposition techniques limit their scalability,1 while fragile and heavy bulk materials can affect their transport and deployment. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of lightweight artificial leaves by employing thin, flexible substrates and carbonaceous protection layers. Lead halide perovskite photocathodes deposited onto indium tin oxide coated polyethylene terephthalate achieve an activity of 4266 µmol H2 g1 h1 using a platinum catalyst, whereas photocathodes with a molecular Co catalyst for CO2 reduction attain a high CO:H2 selectivity of 7.2 under a lower 0.1 sun irradiation. The corresponding lightweight perovskite-BiVO4 PEC devices display unassisted solar-to-fuel efficiencies of 0.58% (H2) and 0.053% (CO), respectively. Their potential for scalability is demonstrated by 100 cm2 standalone artificial leaves, which sustain a comparable performance and stability of ≈24 h to their 1.7 cm2 counterparts. Bubbles formed under operation further enable the 30-100 mg cm2 devices to float, while lightweight reactors facilitate gas collection during outdoor testing on a river. The leaf-like PEC device bridges the gulf in weight between traditional solar fuel approaches, showcasing activities per gram comparable to photocatalytic suspensions and plant leaves. The presented lightweight, floating systems may enable open water applications, while avoiding competition with land use.
Relationships
Is supplemented by: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.82770
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/L015978/1)
European Research Council (682833)
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Marie Sk?odowska-Curie actions (793996)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/S022953/1)
Embargo Lift Date
2025-06-17
Identifiers
This record's DOI: https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.85631
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/338219
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