Control of Electrons’ Spin Eliminates Hydrogen Peroxide Formation During Water Splitting
Open Access
- 10 February 2017
- journal article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Vol. 139 (7), 2794-2798
- https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6b12971
Abstract
The production of hydrogen through water splitting in a photoelectrochemical cell suffers from an overpotential that limits the efficiencies. In addition, hydrogen-peroxide formation is identified as a competing process affecting the oxidative stability of photoelectrodes. We impose spin-selectivity by coating the anode with chiral organic semiconductors from helically aggregated dyes as sensitizers; Zn-porphyrins and triarylamines. Hydrogen peroxide formation is dramatically suppressed, while the overall current through the cell, correlating with the water splitting process, is enhanced. Evidence for a strong spin-selection in the chiral semiconductors is presented by magnetic conducting (mc-)AFM measurements, in which chiral and achiral Zn-porphyrins are compared. These findings contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanism of spin selectivity in multiple electron-transfer reactions and pave the way toward better chiral dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells.Keywords
Funding Information
- H2020 European Research Council (338720)
This publication has 43 references indexed in Scilit:
- Experimental demonstrations of spontaneous, solar-driven photoelectrochemical water splittingEnergy & Environmental Science, 2015
- Fuel from Water: The Photochemical Generation of Hydrogen from WaterAccounts of Chemical Research, 2014
- Artificial photosynthesis for solar water-splittingNature Photonics, 2012
- Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution from FeMoS-Based Biomimetic ChalcogelsJournal of the American Chemical Society, 2012
- Wireless Solar Water Splitting Using Silicon-Based Semiconductors and Earth-Abundant CatalystsScience, 2011
- Comparing Photosynthetic and Photovoltaic Efficiencies and Recognizing the Potential for ImprovementScience, 2011
- Effect of a Cobalt-Based Oxygen Evolution Catalyst on the Stability and the Selectivity of Photo-Oxidation Reactions of a WO3 PhotoanodeChemistry of Materials, 2011
- Powering the planet with solar fuelNature Chemistry, 2009
- Artificial Photosynthesis: Solar Splitting of Water to Hydrogen and OxygenAccounts of Chemical Research, 1995
- Electrochemical Photolysis of Water at a Semiconductor ElectrodeNature, 1972