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Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Ambient Method for the Production of an Ionically Gated Carbon Nanotube Common Cathode in Tandem Organic Solar Cells
Published on: November 5, 2014
Organic Semiconductor-BiVO4 Tandem Devices for Solar-Driven H2O and CO2 Splitting
Celine Wing See Yeung1, Virgil Andrei1,2, Tack Ho Lee3,4
1Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK.
Abstract:
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices offer a promising platform toward direct solar light harvesting and chemical storage through artificial photosynthesis. However, most prototypes employ wide bandgap semiconductors, moisture-sensitive inorganic light absorbers, or corrosive electrolytes. Here, the design and assembly of PEC devices based on an organic donor-acceptor bulk heterojunction (BHJ) using a carbon-based encapsulant are introduced, which demonstrate long-term H2 evolution and CO2 reduction in benign aqueous media. Accordingly, PCE10:EH-IDTBR photocathodes display long-term H2 production for 300 h in a near-neutral pH solution, whereas photocathodes with a molecular CO2 reduction catalyst attain a CO:H2 selectivity of 5.41±0.53 under 0.1 sun irradiation. Their early onset potential enables the construction of tandem PCE10:EH-IDTBR - BiVO4 artificial leaves, which couple unassisted syngas production with O2 evolution in a reactor completely powered by sunlight, sustaining a 1:1 ratio of CO to H2 over 96 h of operation.
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