Highly-efficient capillary photoelectrochemical water splitting using cellulose nanofiber-templated TiO₂ photoanodes

Abstract

Among current endeavors to explore renewable energy technologies, photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting holds great promise for conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. [ 1–4 ] Light absorption, charge separation, and appropriate interfacial redox reactions are three key aspects that lead to highly efficient solar energy conversion. [ 5–10 ] Therefore, development of highperformance PEC electrodes has been concentrated largely on engineering the band structure of photoanodes, enlarging semiconductor- electrolyte interfacial area, and enabling rapid charge separation, collection, and transportation. [ 11,12 ] High porosity three dimensional (3D) nanostructures, such as branched nanowire architectures and nanofiber networks, offer extremely large surface area, excellent charge transport properties, as well as long optical paths for efficient light absorption. As a result, 3D nanostructures are the current focus of a tremendous surge of interest in PEC photoanode development. [ 10,13 ]

Citation

Li, Zhaodong; Yao, Chunhua; Yu, Yanhao; Cai, Zhiyong; Wang, Xudong. 2014. Highly-efficient capillary photoelectrochemical water splitting using cellulose nanofiber-templated TiO₂ photoanodes. Advanced Materials. 26(14): 2262-2267.