Abstract
In this work, Co-based cocatalysts are electrodeposited on mesoporous Ta3N5 nanotubes. The electrodeposition time is varied and the optimized photoelectrode reaches a photocurrent density of 6.3 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. SHE, under simulated solar illumination of 1 Sun, in 1 M NaOH. The best performing electrode, apart from the high photocurrent density, shows improved stability under intense photoelectrochemical water splitting conditions. The dual function of the cocatalyst to improve not only the photoelectrochemical performance, but also the stability, is highlighted. Moreover, we adopted a simple protocol to assess the toxicity of Co and Ta contained nanostructured materials (representing used photoelectrodes) employing the human cell line HeLa S3 as target cells.
Highlights
For billions of years photosynthesis by green plants, algae and certain bacteria has been playing a major role in solar energy conversion and storage
We have demonstrated a facile fabrication of a thin solid-state PEC cell, in which the anode and cathode are attached to either side of a proton conducting polymer membrane
We investigated the performance of the PEC cell under asymmetric conditions, in which different photoanode electrodes were compared by exposure to pure water and the cathode to ambient air
Summary
For billions of years photosynthesis by green plants, algae and certain bacteria has been playing a major role in solar energy conversion and storage. The development of more efficient, clean and renewable routes for artificial photosynthesis, i.e. CO2 utilization and transformation into chemicals, driven by solar energy, can contribute to both CO2 capture, energy storage, and production of valuable fuels and chemicals. It should have fast charge transfer kinetics from its surface to the electrolyte Those strict requirements have resulted in the fact that no single material has been found to meet them all, yet. A series of promising materials, such as CdSe, Fe2O3, BiOV4, Ta3N5, TaON, C3N4, and CuO, have been synthesized and tested That not all the narrow-bandgap semiconductors can fulfill the first requirement, which is the prerequisite for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. BiVO4 and Fe2O3 are two well-studied photoanode materials for water splitting, due to the insufficiently negative CBs, they cannot produce H2 from water splitting without the assistance of an external bias [13, 14]
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