Direct Solar Hydrogen Generation at 20% Efficiency Using Low‐Cost Materials. Issue 34 (24th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Yuan; Sharma, Astha; Duong, The; Arandiyan, Hamidreza; Zhao, Tingwen; Zhang, Doudou; Su, Zhen; Garbrecht, Magnus; Beck, Fiona J.; Karuturi, Siva; Zhao, Chuan; Catchpole, Kylie
• Is Part Of: Advanced energy materials. Volume 11:Issue 34(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-07-24
• Subjects: Ni‐based electrocatalysts -- perovskite/Si tandem -- solar hydrogen production -- solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency -- techno‐economic analysis; Energy harvesting -- Materials -- Periodicals; Energy conversion -- Materials -- Periodicals; Energy storage -- Materials -- Periodicals; Photovoltaics -- Periodicals; Fuel cells -- Periodicals; Thermoelectric materials -- Periodicals; 621.31
• DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202101053
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1614-6832

Abstract

Abstract: While direct solar‐driven water splitting has been investigated as an important technology for low‐cost hydrogen production, the systems demonstrated so far either required expensive materials or presented low solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiencies, both of which increase the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH). Here, a low‐cost material system is demonstrated, consisting of perovskite/Si tandem semiconductors and Ni‐based earth‐abundant catalysts for direct solar hydrogen generation. NiMo‐based hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst is reported, which has innovative "flower‐stem" morphology with enhanced reaction sites and presents very low reaction overpotential of 6 mV at 10 mA cm −2 . A perovskite solar cell with an unprecedented high open circuit voltage ( V oc ) of 1.271 V is developed, which is enabled by an optimized perovskite composition and an improved surface passivation. When the NiMo hydrogen evolution catalyst is wire‐connected with an optimally designed NiFe‐based oxygen evolution catalyst and a high‐performance perovskite‐Si tandem cell, the resulting integrated water splitting cell achieves a record 20% STH efficiency. Detailed analysis of the integrated system reveals that STH efficiencies of 25% can be achieved with realistic improvements in the perovskite cell and an LCOH below ≈ $3 kg −1 is feasible. Abstract : Direct solar hydrogen generation using a perovskite/Si tandem photovoltaic (PV) cell and Ni‐based earth‐abundant electrocatalysts achieves a record solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency of 20%. The combination of the innovative "flower‐stem" morphology of the NiMo catalyst, improves perovskite cell performance passivated by large organic cations and closed current matching with optimised tandem PV maximizes the overall hydrogen production efficiency.