Print Email Facebook Twitter Improving the Back Surface Field on an Amorphous Silicon Carbide Thin Film Photocathode for Solar Water Splitting Title Improving the Back Surface Field on an Amorphous Silicon Carbide Thin Film Photocathode for Solar Water Splitting Author Perez Rodriguez, P. (TU Delft Photovoltaic Materials and Devices) Cardenas-Morcoso, Drialys (Universitat Jaume I) Digdaya, I.A. (TU Delft ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage) Mangel Raventos, A. (TU Delft Photovoltaic Materials and Devices) Procel Moya, P.A. (TU Delft Photovoltaic Materials and Devices) Isabella, O. (TU Delft Photovoltaic Materials and Devices) Gimenez, Sixto (Universitat Jaume I) Zeman, M. (TU Delft Electrical Sustainable Energy) Smith, W.A. (TU Delft ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage) Smets, A.H.M. (TU Delft Photovoltaic Materials and Devices) Department Electrical Sustainable Energy Date 2018 Abstract Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) is a promising material for photoelectrochemical water splitting owing to its relatively small band-gap energy and high chemical and optoelectrical stability. This work studies the interplay between charge-carrier separation and collection, and their injection into the electrolyte, when modifying the semiconductor/electrolyte interface. By introducing an n-doped nanocrystaline silicon oxide layer into a p-doped/intrinsic a-SiC:H photocathode, the photovoltage and photocurrent of the device can be significantly improved, reaching values higher than 0.8V. This results from enhancing the internal electric field of the photocathode, reducing the Shockley-Read-Hall recombination at the crucial interfaces because of better charge-carrier separation. In addition, the charge-carrier injection into the electrolyte is enhanced by introducing a TiO2 protective layer owing to better band alignment at the interface. Finally, the photocurrent was further enhanced by tuning the absorber layer thickness, arriving at a thickness of 150nm, after which the current saturates to 10mAcm-2 at 0V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode in a 0.2m aqueous potassium hydrogen phthalate (KPH) electrolyte at pH4. Subject Charge carrier injectionHydrogenSilicon carbideTitanium dioxideWater splitting To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:bc66f5e5-dd4f-4cbb-9988-5d3ebd5d5630 DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201800782 Embargo date 2019-04-25 ISSN 1864-5631 Source ChemSusChem (Print): chemistry & sustainability, energy & materials, 11 (11), 1797-1804 Bibliographical note Accepted Author Manuscript Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2018 P. Perez Rodriguez, Drialys Cardenas-Morcoso, I.A. Digdaya, A. Mangel Raventos, P.A. Procel Moya, O. Isabella, Sixto Gimenez, M. Zeman, W.A. Smith, A.H.M. Smets Files PDF Perez_Rodriguez_et_al_201 ... usChem.pdf 1.41 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:bc66f5e5-dd4f-4cbb-9988-5d3ebd5d5630/datastream/OBJ/view