L R AS Published on Sunday 8 July 2018 - n° 241 - Categories:new development, cells
A new cell to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen
In order to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, a new cell has achieved an efficiency of
19,3 %.
The combination of a tandem solar cell of III-V semiconductors with a catalyst of nanoparticles of rhodium and crystalline titanium dioxide increased the efficiency. The cell can be immersed: the combination of solar cells with catalysts and a monolithic photoelectrode simplifies the division of water.
The crystalline titanium dioxide layer not only protects the solar cell against corrosion, but also improves charge transport thanks to its advantageous electronic properties: the service life is almost 100 hours (previously 40).
The project partners (various research centres) emphasise the importance of hydrogen production using renewable energies. To date, the production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources has been relatively inefficient. High-efficiency cells, capable of directly separating water, could be one way of overcoming this obstacle.
PV Magazine of 6 July
