Cost-Efficient Photovoltaic-Water Electrolysis over Ultrathin Nanosheets of Cobalt/Iron-Molybdenum Oxides for Potential Large-Scale Hydrogen Production

摘要

Unassisted photovoltaic (PV) water splitting to hydrogen system is of great potential for future environmental-friendly fuel production from renewable solar energy. However, industrialization simultaneously requires higher efficiency, sustained stability and a lower cost for the system. In this work, the ultrathin cobalt/iron-molybdenum oxides nanosheet on nickel foam (NF) is prepared for efficient HER and OER, respectively, delivering a relatively low voltage of 1.45 V at 10 mA cm(-2) in two-electrodes configuration. Water electrolysis at low voltage driven by electrocatalysts is critical for realizing energy conversion. Integrated with a commercial monocrystalline silicon cell, the H-2 area specific activity of 0.47 L m(-2) h(-1) is achieved with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 15.1% under solar simulator illumination (100 mW cm(-2)) and no performance degradation appeares over 160 h. Such a solar conversion technology demonstrates the potential for long-term and cost-efficient H-2 production in large-scale industrialization and provides an exploration for new-type of energy-conversion system.

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