Room temperature synthesis of a highly active Cu/Cu2O photocathode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Abstract

A highly photoactive Cu₂O film was formed on a copper mesh substrate at room temperature via a simple wet-chemistry method. The Cu mesh/Cu₂O photocathode exhibited a record high photocurrent of 4.8 mA cm⁻² at 0 V vs. RHE under AM 1.5G simulated sunlight. This work offers a convenient and low-cost synthetic route to synthesize Cu₂O photocathodes for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting.