Identifying champion nanostructures for solar water-splitting

Scott C. Warren; Kislon Voïtchovsky; Hen Dotan; Celine M. Leroy; Maurin Cornuz; Francesco Stellacci; Cécile Hébert; Avner Rothschild; Michael Grätzel

doi:10.1038/nmat3684

Identifying champion nanostructures for solar water-splitting

Scott C. Warren, Kislon Voïtchovsky, Hen Dotan, Celine M. Leroy, Maurin Cornuz, Francesco Stellacci, Cécile Hébert, Avner Rothschild, Michael Grätzel

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Charge transport in nanoparticle-based materials underlies many emerging energy-conversion technologies, yet assessing the impact of nanometre-scale structure on charge transport across micrometre-scale distances remains a challenge. Here we develop an approach for correlating the spatial distribution of crystalline and current-carrying domains in entire nanoparticle aggregates. We apply this approach to nanoparticle-based α-Fe ₂O ₃ electrodes that are of interest in solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion. In correlating structure and charge transport with nanometre resolution across micrometre-scale distances, we have identified the existence of champion nanoparticle aggregates that are most responsible for the high photoelectrochemical activity of the present electrodes. Indeed, when electrodes are fabricated with a high proportion of these champion nanostructures, the electrodes achieve the highest photocurrent of any metal oxide photoanode for photoelectrochemical water-splitting under 100 mW cm^-2 air mass 1.5 global sunlight.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	842-849
Number of pages	8
Journal	Nature Materials
Volume	12
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3684
State	Published - Sep 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

General Chemistry
General Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Mechanics of Materials
Mechanical Engineering

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@article{7b6b221a5e1f4df494420a8cf81b993a,

title = "Identifying champion nanostructures for solar water-splitting",

abstract = "Charge transport in nanoparticle-based materials underlies many emerging energy-conversion technologies, yet assessing the impact of nanometre-scale structure on charge transport across micrometre-scale distances remains a challenge. Here we develop an approach for correlating the spatial distribution of crystalline and current-carrying domains in entire nanoparticle aggregates. We apply this approach to nanoparticle-based α-Fe 2O 3 electrodes that are of interest in solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion. In correlating structure and charge transport with nanometre resolution across micrometre-scale distances, we have identified the existence of champion nanoparticle aggregates that are most responsible for the high photoelectrochemical activity of the present electrodes. Indeed, when electrodes are fabricated with a high proportion of these champion nanostructures, the electrodes achieve the highest photocurrent of any metal oxide photoanode for photoelectrochemical water-splitting under 100 mW cm-2 air mass 1.5 global sunlight.",

author = "Warren, {Scott C.} and Kislon Vo{\"i}tchovsky and Hen Dotan and Leroy, {Celine M.} and Maurin Cornuz and Francesco Stellacci and C{\'e}cile H{\'e}bert and Avner Rothschild and Michael Gr{\"a}tzel",

note = "Funding Information: The authors acknowledge support of this research by the European Commission (Nanostructured Photoelectrodes for Energy Conversion, NanoPEC, contract number 227179) and the Swiss Federal Office for Energy (PECHouse Competence Center, contract number 152933). M.G. thanks the European Research Council (ERC) for funding part of this work under the advanced research grant (ARC) 247404 {\textquoteleft}Mesolight{\textquoteright}. We thank E. Thimsen, C. Koch, T. Mason, U. Wiesner, D. Gamelin, M. Hersam and R. van de Krol for helpful discussions.",

year = "2013",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1038/nmat3684",

language = "الإنجليزيّة",

volume = "12",

pages = "842--849",

journal = "Nature Materials",

issn = "1476-1122",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Identifying champion nanostructures for solar water-splitting

AU - Warren, Scott C.

AU - Voïtchovsky, Kislon

AU - Dotan, Hen

AU - Leroy, Celine M.

AU - Cornuz, Maurin

AU - Stellacci, Francesco

AU - Hébert, Cécile

AU - Rothschild, Avner

AU - Grätzel, Michael

N1 - Funding Information: The authors acknowledge support of this research by the European Commission (Nanostructured Photoelectrodes for Energy Conversion, NanoPEC, contract number 227179) and the Swiss Federal Office for Energy (PECHouse Competence Center, contract number 152933). M.G. thanks the European Research Council (ERC) for funding part of this work under the advanced research grant (ARC) 247404 ‘Mesolight’. We thank E. Thimsen, C. Koch, T. Mason, U. Wiesner, D. Gamelin, M. Hersam and R. van de Krol for helpful discussions.

PY - 2013/9

Y1 - 2013/9

N2 - Charge transport in nanoparticle-based materials underlies many emerging energy-conversion technologies, yet assessing the impact of nanometre-scale structure on charge transport across micrometre-scale distances remains a challenge. Here we develop an approach for correlating the spatial distribution of crystalline and current-carrying domains in entire nanoparticle aggregates. We apply this approach to nanoparticle-based α-Fe 2O 3 electrodes that are of interest in solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion. In correlating structure and charge transport with nanometre resolution across micrometre-scale distances, we have identified the existence of champion nanoparticle aggregates that are most responsible for the high photoelectrochemical activity of the present electrodes. Indeed, when electrodes are fabricated with a high proportion of these champion nanostructures, the electrodes achieve the highest photocurrent of any metal oxide photoanode for photoelectrochemical water-splitting under 100 mW cm-2 air mass 1.5 global sunlight.

AB - Charge transport in nanoparticle-based materials underlies many emerging energy-conversion technologies, yet assessing the impact of nanometre-scale structure on charge transport across micrometre-scale distances remains a challenge. Here we develop an approach for correlating the spatial distribution of crystalline and current-carrying domains in entire nanoparticle aggregates. We apply this approach to nanoparticle-based α-Fe 2O 3 electrodes that are of interest in solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion. In correlating structure and charge transport with nanometre resolution across micrometre-scale distances, we have identified the existence of champion nanoparticle aggregates that are most responsible for the high photoelectrochemical activity of the present electrodes. Indeed, when electrodes are fabricated with a high proportion of these champion nanostructures, the electrodes achieve the highest photocurrent of any metal oxide photoanode for photoelectrochemical water-splitting under 100 mW cm-2 air mass 1.5 global sunlight.

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DO - 10.1038/nmat3684

M3 - مقالة

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EP - 849

JO - Nature Materials

JF - Nature Materials

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ER -

Identifying champion nanostructures for solar water-splitting

Abstract

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