industry news
Subscribe Now

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Researchers Design Durable Organic Semiconductor Photocathodes with Metal Foil Encapsulation

With this approach, the developed photocathodes exhibit a remarkable stability and demonstrate sunlight-driven clean hydrogen production by water splitting
Organic semiconductors (OSs) used in organic solar cells show promise as a candidate for facilitating clean hydrogen production from sunlight. However, they suffer from slow charge transfer and chemical instability. Addressing this issue, researchers from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology use metal foil encapsulation to protect the OS from the electrolyte, greatly enhancing its stability and photocurrent retention as demonstrated in an OS module operation under sunlight.
Hydrogen is emerging as a popular eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuel resources owing to its carbon-neutral combustion products (water, electricity, and heat) and is considered to be the next-generation fuel for a zero-emission society. However, the major source of hydrogen is, ironically, fossil fuels.
One way to produce hydrogen in a clean and sustainable manner is through water splitting driven by sunlight. The process, known as “photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting” is the basis of operation of organic photovoltaic cells. What makes this method attractive is that it enables 1) mass hydrogen production in limited space without a grid system and 2) high-efficiency conversion of solar energy to hydrogen. Despite such advantages, however, the photoactive materials used in conventional PECs do not have the properties required for a commercial setting. In this regard, organic semiconductors (OSs) have emerged as a potential photoelectrode material for commercial PEC hydrogen production due to their high performance and low-cost printing. But, on the downside, OSs suffer from poor chemical stability and low photocurrent density.
Now, a team of researchers led by Prof. Sanghan Lee from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, may have finally solved this problem. In their recent breakthrough that appeared on the front cover page of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, the team adopted an approach based on encapsulating the OS photocathode in platinum-decorated titanium foil, a technique known as “metal foil encapsulation,” to prevent its exposure to the electrolyte solution.
“The metal foil encapsulation is a powerful approach for realizing long-term stable OS-based photocathodes since it helps impede the penetration of electrolytes into the OSimproving their long-term stability as has been demonstrated in our previous studies and other reports on OS-based photoelectrodes, ” explains Prof. Lee. The study was made available online on 14 May 2022 and was published in Issue 25 of the journal on 07 July 2022.
The team fabricated an organic photovoltaic cell, in which the OS photocathode was covered with titanium foil and well-dispersed platinum nanoparticles. Upon testing, the OS photocathode showed an onset potential of 1 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and a photocurrent density of -12.3 mA cm-2 at 0 VRHE. Most remarkably, the cell demonstrated a record operation stability, retaining 95.4% of the maximum photocurrent for over 30 hours without any noticeable deterioration in the OS. Further, the team tested the module under actual sunlight and was able to produce hydrogen.
The highly stable and efficient PEC module developed in this study can enable large-scale production of hydrogen and inspire innovative routes for building future hydrogen gas stations. “With the growing threat of global warming, it is imperative to develop eco-friendly energy sources. The PEC module explored in our study could be installed in hydrogen gas stationswhere hydrogen can be both mass-produced and sold at the same time,” speculates an optimistic Prof. Lee.
We sure hope his vision is realized soon!
***
Reference
Title of original paper: A long-term stable organic semiconductor photocathode-based photoelectrochemical module system for hydrogen production
Journal: Journal of Materials Chemistry A
About the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)
The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented university situated in Gwangju, South Korea. Founded in 1993, GIST has become one of the most prestigious schools in South Korea. The university aims to create a strong research environment to spur advancements in science and technology and to promote collaboration between international and domestic research programs. With its motto of “A Proud Creator of Future Science and Technology,” GIST has consistently received one of the highest university rankings in Korea.
About the author
Dr. Sanghan Lee is a Professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology (GIST), Korea. Before coming to GIST, he received his Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, and conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow at the same university thereafter. Currently, his group at GIST is developing various semiconductor material-based thin films for the fabrication of high-performance photoelectrodes, memory devices, and gas sensors.

Leave a Reply

featured blogs
Jun 9, 2023
In this Knowledge Booster blog, let us talk about the simulation of the circuits based on switched capacitors and capacitance-to-voltage (C2V) converters using various analyses available under the Shooting Newton method using Spectre RF. The videos described in this blog are ...
Jun 8, 2023
Learn how our EDA tools accelerate 5G SoC design for customer Viettel, who designs chips for 5G base stations and drives 5G rollout across Vietnam. The post Customer Spotlight: Viettel Accelerates Design of Its First 5G SoC with Synopsys ASIP Designer appeared first on New H...
Jun 2, 2023
I just heard something that really gave me pause for thought -- the fact that everyone experiences two forms of death (given a choice, I'd rather not experience even one)....

featured video

Shift-left with Power Emulation Using Real Workloads

Sponsored by Synopsys

Increasing software content and larger chips are demanding pre-silicon power for real-life workloads. Synopsys profile, analyze, and signoff emulation power steps to identify and analyze interesting stimulus from seconds of silicon runtime are discussed.

Learn more about Synopsys’ Energy-Efficient SoCs Solutions

featured paper

EC Solver Tech Brief

Sponsored by Cadence Design Systems

The Cadence® Celsius™ EC Solver supports electronics system designers in managing the most challenging thermal/electronic cooling problems quickly and accurately. By utilizing a powerful computational engine and meshing technology, designers can model and analyze the fluid flow and heat transfer of even the most complex electronic system and ensure the electronic cooling system is reliable.

Click to read more

featured chalk talk

Megawatt Chargers in Electric Commercial Vehicle Infrastructure
In order to move forward with the large-scale implementation of commercial electric vehicles, we need to consider efficiency, availability, reliability, and longevity for the mega-watt chargers required for these applications. In this episode of Chalk Talk, Dr. Martin Schulz from Littelfuse joins Amelia Dalton to discuss the infrastructure demands of electric commercial vehicles, the role that galvanic isolation plays here and why thyristors may be a great choice for the future of electric commercial vehicles.
Jan 17, 2023
18,857 views