Issue 19, 2023

Porous silicon-nanowire-based electrode for the photoelectrocatalytic production of hydrogen

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to produce green hydrogen, for which the practical fabrication of low-cost photoelectrodes remains a challenge. Here we report a porous photocathode assembly based on silicon nanowires (SiNW) as a light absorber and non-precious molybdenum sulfide (MoSx) as a hydrogen-evolution catalyst. Tuning the SiNW diameter is key to select the light absorption wavelength range of the system. We demonstrate a facile and robust route to synthesize SiNWs with a controlled diameter from 13 to 48 nm directly on a porous conductive support. The high quality and homogeneity of the SiNWs grown by this method also allowed drawing unprecedented conclusions on the growth process, hinting towards a silylene path. Photocathodes baring SiNWs covered with MoSx perform photoelectrocatalytic production of hydrogen for several hours with a faradaic yield over 98%.

Graphical abstract: Porous silicon-nanowire-based electrode for the photoelectrocatalytic production of hydrogen

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Mar 2023
Accepted
13 Jul 2023
First published
23 Aug 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2023,7, 4864-4876

Porous silicon-nanowire-based electrode for the photoelectrocatalytic production of hydrogen

J. Wang, C. Keller, M. Dietrich, P. E. Olli, P. Gentile, S. Pouget, H. Okuno, M. Boutghatin, Y. Pennec, V. Reita, D. N. Nguyen, H. Johnson, A. Morozan, V. Artero and P. Chenevier, Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2023, 7, 4864 DOI: 10.1039/D3SE00408B

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