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Download fileMembrane-Inspired Acidically Stable Dye-Sensitized Photocathode for Solar Fuel Production
journal contribution
posted on 2016-02-03, 00:00 authored by Kevin
A. Click, Damian R. Beauchamp, Zhongjie Huang, Weilin Chen, Yiying WuTandem
dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells (DSPECs) for water
splitting are a promising method for sustainable energy conversion
but so far have been limited by their lack of aqueous stability and
photocurrent mismatch between the cathode and anode. In nature, membrane-enabled
subcellular compartmentation is a general approach to control local
chemical environments in the cell. The hydrophobic tails of the lipid
make the bilayer impermeable to ions and hydrophilic molecules. Herein
we report the use of an organic donor–acceptor dye that prevents
both dye desorption and semiconductor degradation by mimicking the
hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of lipid bilayer membranes. The
dual-functional photosensitizer (denoted as BH4) allows for efficient
light harvesting while also protecting the semiconductor surface from
protons and water via its hydrophobic π linker. The protection
afforded by this membrane-mimicking dye gives this system excellent
stability in extremely acidic (pH 0) conditions. The acidic stability
also allows for the use of cubane molybdenum-sulfide cluster as the
hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst. This system produces a
proton-reducing current of 183 ± 36 μA/cm2 (0
V vs NHE with 300 W Xe lamp) for an unprecedented 16 h with no degradation.
These results introduce a method for developing high-current, low-pH
DSPECs and are a significant move toward practical dye-sensitized
solar fuel production.