Publication: Solar hydrogen production employing n-TiO2/Ti SC-SEP, photoelectrochemical solar cell
Loading...
Date
1997
Journal Title
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Abstract
The present paper describes the fabrication and solar hydrogen production studies employing a new semiconductor-septum (SC-SEP) photoelectrode n-TiO2/Ti based photoelectrochemical solar cell with the configuration SCE/1 M NaOH/TiO2/Ti/H2SO4+K2SO 4/PtCE, PtWE. The monitoring of the current-voltage characteristics of the above SC-SEP cell revealed an enhancement in short-circuit current (ISC) up to three times (5-∼ 15 mAcm-2) that of its single compartment PEC cell counterpart based on the n-TiO2 photoelectrode. The rate of hydrogen production was found to change with variation in the concentration of the electrolyte in the dark compartment; e.g. for 1 M H2SO4 it is 6.31 1 h-1 m-2 and for 5 M it is 13.15 1 h-1 m-2. The optimum hydrogen production rate was found to be 13.15 1 h-1 m-2 for 5 M H2SO4. With a further increase in H2SO4 concentration, the hydrogen production rate was found to be invariant. The hydrogen production rate of TiO2/Ti based SC-SEP cells when compared with the only other known SC-SEP cell based on n-CdSe/Ti and corresponding to the configuration SCE/polysulfide +0.1 M selenium solute/n-CdSe/Ti/5 M H2SO4/PtCE, PtWE exhibits a hydrogen production rate higher by about 10 times. © 1997 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. All rights reserved.