Scalable and durable module-sized artificial leaf with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency over 10

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Artificial leaves offer a low-cost, space-efficient alternative to traditional solar hydrogen production systems.
• Current challenges include achieving high solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, long-term durability, and scalability for practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a practical-size artificial leaf device for efficient and stable solar water splitting.
• To demonstrate a module-level solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency exceeding 10%.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of 1 cm² perovskite-based photoelectrodes using defect-less, chlorine-doped formamidinium lead triiodide and UV-insensitive tin oxide.
• Encapsulation of photoelectrodes with electrocatalyst-deposited nickel foils.
• Assembly of a scalable 16 cm² artificial leaf module with a parallel photoanode/photocathode configuration.

Main Results:

• The developed photoelectrodes exhibited high photocurrent density and stability over 140 hours.
• The 16 cm² artificial leaf module achieved a stable 11.2% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency.
• The device operated effectively in an unbiased solar water-splitting configuration under 1-sun illumination.

Conclusions:

• The study presents a significant advancement in artificial leaf technology for efficient solar hydrogen generation.
• The developed device demonstrates the potential for scalable and durable artificial photosynthesis systems.
• This work paves the way for practical, cost-effective solar fuel production.