Engineering devices for efficient and stable photoelectrochemical water splitting

Placeholder Show Content

Abstract/Contents

Abstract
Solar water splitting using photoelectrochemical cells (PEC's) is a promising pathway toward clean and sustainable storage of renewable energy. However, developing a PEC device that is efficient, durable, and also scalable has been a huge challenge so far. This dissertation addresses these challenges by developing photocathodes based on inexpensive absorber materials such as germanium and silicon. In particular, efficient silicon heterojunction solar cells are studied in order to stabilize them under corrosive hydrogen evolution environments while maintaining their excellent photovoltaic performance using TiO2 protection layers deposited using atomic layer deposition. High activity oxygen evolution electrocatalysts are also fabricated on porous substrate materials in order to minimize the overpotential required. Finally, we combine the photocathode and the anode in a novel integrated solar water splitting architecture, and demonstrate a solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency in excess of 10%, a record high STH efficiency for an integrated silicon photosynthesis device, and stable operation for > 120 hours.

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource
Extent 1 online resource.
Place California
Place [Stanford, California]
Publisher [Stanford University]
Copyright date 2019; ©2019
Publication date 2019; 2019
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Author Tan, Chor Seng
Degree supervisor McIntyre, Paul Cameron
Thesis advisor McIntyre, Paul Cameron
Thesis advisor Chidsey, Christopher E. D. (Christopher Elisha Dunn)
Thesis advisor Triplett, Baylor
Degree committee member Chidsey, Christopher E. D. (Christopher Elisha Dunn)
Degree committee member Triplett, Baylor
Associated with Stanford University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Subjects

Genre Theses
Genre Text

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Chor Seng Tan.
Note Submitted to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Thesis Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2019.
Location electronic resource

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2019 by Chor Seng Tan
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).

Also listed in

Loading usage metrics...