Mixed Metal Oxide Photocathodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Nikhila, Boni and Meduri, Praveen (2019) Mixed Metal Oxide Photocathodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. Masters thesis, Indian institute of technology Hyderabad.

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Abstract

Sustainable hydrogen production can be achieved by solar water splitting and stored in an energy storage system. Phototelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a for hydrogen production using solar energy. In this process, solar energy directly splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen molecules. A photocatalyst semiconductor with a suitable band gap, band edges can enhance the efficiency of overall solar to hydrogen energy conversion. Copper bismuth oxide (CuBi2O4) is one of the most promising photocathodes for PEC water splitting. Electrodeposition was used to synthesize CuBi2O4 thin films wherein, Cu/Bi films are deposited onto FTO with uniform surface coverage and then, oxidized in air. X-ray diffraction was carried out to identify the crystalline structure of CuBi2O4. Due to its lower current density of 0.1 mA/cm2, we implemented other strategies such as doping and nanoparticle deposition on materials to improve CuBi2O4 performance. Molybdenum and nickel are added as impurities (doping) to enhance the photon absorption of CuBi2O4. In another study, silver nanoparticles are deposited onto the surface of CuBi2O4 electrode by drop casting to enhance the activity. In another strategy of composite development, CuS and CuFeO2 are used to form heterostructures with CuBi2O4 photocathode to increase the efficiency of photocatalytic reaction and reduce the recombination. All these different approaches have been discussed thoroughly with their performance.

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