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Highly Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Using GaN-Nanowire Photoanode with Tungsten Sulfides.
Sangmoon Han1, Siyun Noh1, Yeon-Tae Yu1
1Department of Electronic and Information Materials Engineering, Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, South Korea.
High-performance photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) was achieved using tungsten sulfide-coated gallium nitride nanowires (GaN-NW-WS). This novel photoanode significantly boosts hydrogen production efficiency, surpassing previous III-nitride nanostructures.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC-WS) is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production.
- Gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires (NWs) offer potential as photoanode materials.
- Enhancing charge separation and reducing recombination are key challenges in PEC-WS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a high-performance photoanode for PEC-WS using GaN NWs coated with tungsten sulfide (WS).
- To investigate the factors contributing to improved PEC-WS performance.
- To evaluate the efficiency of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of GaN nanowires coated with tungsten sulfide (GaN-NW-WS) as a photoanode.
- Performance evaluation of the photoanode using current density and applied-bias photon-to-current efficiency measurements.
- Analysis of charge transfer characteristics using Nyquist plots and impedance matching.
Main Results:
- Achieved a current density of 20.38 mA/cm² and an applied-bias photon-to-current efficiency of 13.76%.
- Produced 1.01 mmol/cm² of hydrogen gas in 7 hours, exceeding previous reports for III-nitride nanostructures.
- Demonstrated enhanced photogenerated carrier generation and suppressed charge recombination.
Conclusions:
- The GaN-NW-WS photoanode significantly improves PEC-WS performance.
- Key factors include highly crystalline GaN NWs, nitrogen-terminated surfaces, sulfur vacancies in WS, and type-II band alignment.
- This approach offers an efficient strategy for enhancing the hydrogen evolution reaction.
