Engineering of Sub-Nanometer SiOₓ Thickness in Si Photocathodes for Optimized Open Circuit Potential

  • Silicon is one of the most promising materials to be used for tandem-cell water-splitting devices. However, the electrochemical instability of bare Si makes it difficult to be used for stable devices. Besides that, the photovoltage loss in Si, caused by several factors (e.g., metal oxide protection layer and/or SiO₂/Si or catalyst/Si interface), limits its use in these devices. In this work, we present that an optimized open circuit potential (OCP) of Si can be obtained by controlling the SiOₓ thickness in sub-nanometer range. It can be done by means of a simple and cost-effective way using the combination of a wet chemical etching and the low temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) of TiO₂. We have found that a certain thickness of the native SiOₓ is necessary to prevent further oxidation of the Si photocathode during the ALD growth of TiO₂. Moreover, covering the Si photocathode with an ALD TiO₂ layer enhances its stability.

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Metadaten
Author: Chittaranjan DasORCiD, Małgorzata KotORCiD, Karsten HenkelORCiDGND, Dieter SchmeißerORCiD
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201600777
ISSN:1864-5631
ISSN:1864-564X
Title of the source (English):ChemSusChem
Document Type:Scientific journal article peer-reviewed
Language:English
Year of publication:2016
Tag:Si photocathodes; atomic layer deposition; open circuit potential; silica; stability
Volume/Year:9
Issue number:17
First Page:2332
Last Page:2336
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 1 MINT - Mathematik, Informatik, Physik, Elektro- und Informationstechnik / FG Angewandte Physik und Halbleiterspektroskopie
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