Tandem photoelectrochemical cells for solar water splitting

• Published in: Advances in physics: X Vol. 3; no. 1; p. 1487267
• Main Authors: Chen, Qi, Fan, Guozheng, Fu, Hongwei, Li, Zhaosheng, Zou, Zhigang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 01.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: 88.05.Ec Renewable energy targets; 88.05.Gh Energy conservation; 88.30.E- Hydrogen production with renewable energy; 88.30.ep Electrochemical photolytic hydrogen; electricity demand reduction; photoelectrochemical cell; Solar energy; tandem cell
• ISSN: 2374-6149; 2374-6149
• DOI: 10.1080/23746149.2018.1487267

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting without an external bias is a potential solution to the growing energy crisis because this method can directly convert solar energy into chemical energy. A tandem cell is a frequently used configuration for unassisted overall water splitting because of the advantages that each component are tied together to form a highly efficient integration. A tandem PEC water splitting device is based on different photoelectrode absorbers, and there are two main models including photoanode/photocathode (PEC/PEC) and photoelectrode/photovoltaic (PEC/PV) tandem cells. In this review, we will focus on the concepts, configurations and recent progress of PEC/PEC and PEC/PV cells. Light absorption and energy band matching are the key points to enhance the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency. Promoting the performance of a standalone semiconductor material and finding new materials, coupled with an optimized configuration, are future steps for the practical application of tandem PEC cells. Abbreviations: PEC: Photoelectrochemical; STH: Solar-to-hydrogen; PV: Photovoltaic; PV-EL: Photovoltaic-electrolysis; CIGS: Cu(In,Ga)Se2; CGS: CuGa3Se5; ACGSe: (Ag,Cu)GaSe2 ; Co-Ci: Cobalt carbonate; Co-Pi: Cobalt phosphate; cDBR: conductive distributed Bragg reflector; DSC: Dye-sensitized solar cell; IMM: Inverted metamorphic multi-junction; PED: Photoelectrodeposition; S-P: Sputtering + Photoelectrodeposition.