Novel photoelectrochemical behaviors of p-SiC films on Si for solar water splitting

The electrochemical properties of single-crystalline p-type 3C-SiC films on p-Si and n-Si substrates were investigated as electrodes in H2SO4 aqueous solutions in dark and under light illumination. The photoelectrochemical measurements with different wavelengths of light sources indicate the p-SiC film on p-Si substrate can generate a cathodic photocurrent as a photocathode, which corresponds to hydrogen production, and generate an anodic photocurrent as a photoanode, which corresponds to oxygen evolution. The photocurrent density on wavelength at different potentials for p-SiC on p-Si was investigated. IPCE measurements were addressed to study the photoactive wavelength regimes for the p-SiC film on p-Si and the p-Si. For p-SiC film on n-Si substrate, it can only generate an apparent photocurrent as a photoanode for oxygen evolution. The analyses on anodic and cathodic photocurrent behaviors of the p-SiC on p-Si and the p-SiC on n-Si as electrodes were proposed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.