Publication

Photoelectrochemical behaviour of photoanodes under high photon fluxes

Abstract

The experimental behaviour of photoelectrochemical materials illuminated under high irradiance conditions >100 kW m−2 has not been studied despite being potentially advantageous for improving the photoelectrochemical performance and the system-level design through the miniaturisation of PEC cells, and for providing conditions that can mimic accelerated ageing or long term operation. This study presents the design of a high flux photoelectrochemical (HFPEC) test cell, which ensured adequate cooling through forced convention, and experimental setup in a high flux solar simulator for the study of light-dependent behaviour of two reference materials, Sn-doped Fe2O3 and BiVO4, under high irradiances (up to 358 kW m−2). Current densities of up to 1500 and 300 A m−2 were achieved for FTO|Fe2O3 and FTO|BiVO4, respectively. To qualitatively deconvolve the different phenomena and their effects, temperature dependence studies under approx. 1 sun (1 sun = 1 kW m−2) illumination were performed. It was found that the sublinear light-dependent behaviour was not explained by the temperature increase under illumination and, based on multiphysics modelling, likely primarily arises from bubble-induced losses. Furthermore, whilst the overall degradation rate increases for FTO|BiVO4 samples under increasing irradiance, a fitted phenomenological model indicates that the degradation kinetics are light-dependent, where increased irradiance diminishes the fraction of charge consumed by photocorrosion reactions. This study highlights the potential of HFPEC experiments to contribute to the scientific analysis of semiconductor–electrolyte behaviour at high photon flux conditions and to identify and resolve the practical challenges of engineering HFPEC devices.

About this result
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Related concepts (32)
Photoelectrochemical cell
A "photoelectrochemical cell" is one of two distinct classes of device. The first produces electrical energy similarly to a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell, which meets the standard definition of a photovoltaic cell. The second is a photoelectrolytic cell, that is, a device which uses light incident on a photosensitizer, semiconductor, or aqueous metal immersed in an electrolytic solution to directly cause a chemical reaction, for example to produce hydrogen via the electrolysis of water.
Sunlight
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon. When direct solar radiation is not blocked by clouds, it is experienced as sunshine, a combination of bright light and radiant heat. When blocked by clouds or reflected off other objects, sunlight is diffused.
Dye-sensitized solar cell
A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC, DSC, DYSC or Grätzel cell) is a low-cost solar cell belonging to the group of thin film solar cells. It is based on a semiconductor formed between a photo-sensitized anode and an electrolyte, a photoelectrochemical system. The modern version of a dye solar cell, also known as the Grätzel cell, was originally co-invented in 1988 by Brian O'Regan and Michael Grätzel at UC Berkeley and this work was later developed by the aforementioned scientists at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) until the publication of the first high efficiency DSSC in 1991.
Show more
Related publications (32)

Photoelectrochemical Cell Engineering for Solar Energy Conversion

Dan Zhang

Solar energy is the most abundant energy source, harnessing solar energy holds the solution to the challenge of increasing global energy demand and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Photovoltaics which directly convert solar energy into electricity ...
EPFL2023

Photo‐Electrochemical Conversion of CO 2 Under Concentrated Sunlight Enables Combination of High Reaction Rate and Efficiency

Sophia Haussener, Silvan Suter, Etienne Boutin, Mahendra Patel

Photo-electrochemical production of solar fuels from carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight is an appealing approach. Nevertheless, it remains challenging to scale despite encouraging demonstrations at low power input. Higher current densities require notable ...
Wiley2022

Novel Interfacial Characterization and Surface Engineering in Semiconductor Electrodes for Optimized Solar Fuel Production

Yongpeng Liu

Harvesting sunlight, the ultimate renewable power source, in a cost-effective way has been long recognized as a necessary route to meet the global energy challenges. Solar energy can be transformed into electricity by means of photovoltaic devices to suppl ...
EPFL2021
Show more
Related MOOCs (2)
SES Swiss-Energyscope
La transition énergique suisse / Energiewende in der Schweiz
SES Swiss-Energyscope
La transition énergique suisse / Energiewende in der Schweiz

Graph Chatbot

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.