Dual back interface engineering optimized charge carrier dynamics in Sb2(S,Se)3 photocathodes for efficient solar hydrogen production†

IF 7.6 1区 化学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Hafiz Sartaj Aziz, Tahir Imran, Munir Ahmad, Guo-Jie Chen, Ping Luo, Dong-Lou Ren, Bing-Suo Zou, Ju-Guang Hu, Zheng-Hua Su, Pei-Guang Yan, Guang-Xing Liang and Shuo Chen
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Antimony sulfoselenide (Sb2(S,Se)3) is a promising sunlight absorber material for solar energy conversion in photovoltaic (PV) cells and photoelectrochemical (PEC) photoelectrodes due to its excellent photoelectric properties. However, the obtained thin-film and back contact properties significantly influence the PEC performance of photocathodes, causing severe bulk recombination, carrier transport loss, and deteriorating half-cell solar-to-hydrogen (HC-STH) efficiency. This study introduces an intriguing dual back interface engineering strategy for Sb2(S,Se)3 photocathodes by incorporating an intermediate MoO2 layer and a secondary carrier transport channel of Au to strengthen charge carrier dynamics. The synergistic assembly of these dual back interface layers improves the growth kinetics and achieves the optimal orientation of Sb2(S,Se)3 thin films by increasing substrate wettability. Moreover, by shortening the back contact barrier height and passivating defect-assisted recombinations, these dual back underlayers simultaneously enhance carrier transport and separation efficiencies. As a result, the photocurrent density of the champion Sb2(S,Se)3 photocathode increases from 5.89 to 32.60 mA cm−2, and the HC-STH conversion efficiency improves significantly from 0.30% to 3.58%, representing the highest value for Sb2(S,Se)3-based photocathodes. This work highlights the effectiveness of dual back interface engineering in promoting the PEC performance of chalcogenide photocathodes for solar hydrogen evolution applications.

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来源期刊
Chemical Science
Chemical Science CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-
CiteScore
14.40
自引率
4.80%
发文量
1352
审稿时长
2.1 months
期刊介绍: Chemical Science is a journal that encompasses various disciplines within the chemical sciences. Its scope includes publishing ground-breaking research with significant implications for its respective field, as well as appealing to a wider audience in related areas. To be considered for publication, articles must showcase innovative and original advances in their field of study and be presented in a manner that is understandable to scientists from diverse backgrounds. However, the journal generally does not publish highly specialized research.
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