Efficient Anode and Cathode Materials for Amorphous Silicon Solar Cell Driven all Solar Electrolysis of Water

Abstract

Few non-noble metal based anode and cathode materials were investigated for all solar electrolysis of water to hydrogen and oxygen gases powered by double junction amorphous silicon (Dj-a-Si) solar cell under solar simulated light of 1 sun. The highest hydrogen generation current efficiency of 58.68% was obtained when Pt wire was used as a cathode with the non-noble metal based Ni-Co₃ O₄ as an anode in the electrochemical cell. However, when Pt metal was replaced by a non-noble metal Ni as cathode, the maximum hydrogen generation current efficiency of 51.28% was observed. This corresponds to a 7.4% loss in current efficiency when Pt cathode was replaced by Ni. The percent solar to hydrogen conversion efficiencies (% STH) were found to be 8.66% and 7.57% for the Dj-a-Si solar cell driven electrolysis of water in the Ni-Co₃O₄‖Pt and non-noble metal based Ni-Co₃O₄‖Ni electrochemical cells respectively. Notably, the lowest hydrogen generation current efficiency of 36.33% and % STH efficiency of 5.36% were obtained when Pt metal was used as both anode and cathode in Pt‖Pt electrochemical cell.