NiO nanowires as hole-transfer layer for drastic enhancement of CdSe-sensitized photocathodes

Abstract

Chalcogenides-sensitized NiO photocathodes have emerged as a promising pathway for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution and tandem solar cells. However, the low light capture and transfer rate of charge carriers inhibit its application. Herein, we report a grass-like NiO nanowire structure as the hole-transfer layer. The NiO nanowires increase the loading amount of CdSe and promote the process of interfacial hole transportation, which results in an enhancement of the photocurrent. Meanwhile, the photocurrent response of the photocathode can be kept stable over several hours in both nitrogen-saturated and air-saturated electrolytes. The current study may provide a reference towards developing efficient and robust NiO-based photocathodes.