Effect of morphology on the photoelectrochemical performance of nanostructured Cu2O photocathodes

Cu2O is a promising earth-abundant semiconductor photocathode for sunlight-driven water splitting. Characterization results are presented to show how the photocurrent density (J(ph) ), onset potential (E (onset)), band edges, carrier density (N-A ), and interfacial charge transfer resistance (R (ct)) are affected by the morphology and method used to deposit Cu2O on a copper foil. Mesoscopic and planar morphologies exhibit large differences in the values of N-A and R (ct). However, these differences are not observed to translate to other photocatalytic properties of Cu2O. Mesoscopic and planar morphologies exhibit similar bandgap (e.g.) and flat band potential (E (fb)) values of 1.93 +/- 0.04 eV and 0.48 +/- 0.06 eV respectively. E (onset) of 0.48 +/- 0.04 eV obtained for these systems is close to the E (fb) indicating negligible water reduction overpotential. Electrochemically deposited planar Cu2O provides the highest photocurrent density of 5.0 mA cm(-2) at 0 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) of all the morphologies studied. The photocurrent densities observed in this study are among the highest reported values for bare Cu2O photocathodes.

Automated summary

Cu2O is a promising semiconductor photocathode for water splitting, and its performance is affected by morphology and deposition method. Differences in carrier density and charge transfer resistance are observed among different morphologies, but these differences do not impact other photocatalytic properties of Cu2O. Despite variations in certain characteristics, such as bandgap and flat band potential, the overall performance of Cu2O photocathodes remains consistent.