Fig. 6: Schematic illustration of the effect of gas bubble on the 3 J III-V photoelectrode. | Nature Communications

Fig. 6: Schematic illustration of the effect of gas bubble on the 3 J III-V photoelectrode.

From: Photoelectrochemical water splitting cells at elevated pressure using BiVO4 and platinized III-V semiconductor photoelectrodes

Fig. 6

n1 and n2 are the refractive index of the electrolyte and H2 gas, respectively. θi denotes the incident angle of the light, θref is the refractive angle, and θr is the reflection angle. θc is the contact angle of the gas bubble on the photoelectrode. Incident light can be reflected at the bubble/electrolyte interface (potentially lost) or refracted (redirected to other parts of the photoelectrode). The 3 J III-V PV cell was protected with Ti and TiO2 layers, and the Pt catalyst (1 nm) was dispersed on the surface, where the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) occurs. Some Pt sites are temporarily covered by bubbles and deactivated, but the long minority carrier lifetime and high carrier mobility in III-V semiconductors enables reactions at uncovered sites.

Back to article page