Volume 62, Issue 36 e202305123
Research Article

Enhanced Spatial Charge Separation in a Niobium and Tantalum Nitride Core-Shell Photoanode: In Situ Interface Bonding for Efficient Solar Water Splitting

Beibei Zhang

Beibei Zhang

Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 P. R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Zeyu Fan

Zeyu Fan

Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 P. R. China

These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Yutao Chen

Yutao Chen

Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106 P. R. China

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Chao Feng

Chao Feng

Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 P. R. China

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Prof. Shulong Li

Corresponding Author

Prof. Shulong Li

Institute for Advanced Study, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106 P. R. China

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Prof. Yanbo Li

Corresponding Author

Prof. Yanbo Li

Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054 P. R. China

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First published: 18 July 2023
Citations: 8

Graphical Abstract

Highly efficient electron/hole separation and collection has been achieved by in situ interface bonding of an ultrathin high-crystallinity Ta3N5 mono-grain shell and conductive NbNx nanorod core. The photoanode attains a photocurrent density of 7 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V RHE with a Ta3N5 shell thickness of less than 30 nm.

Abstract

Tantalum nitride (Ta3N5) has emerged as a promising photoanode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. However, the inefficient electron-hole separation remains a bottleneck that impedes its solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency. Herein, we demonstrate that a core–shell nanoarray photoanode of NbNx-nanorod@Ta3N5 ultrathin layer enhances light harvesting and forms a spatial charge-transfer channel, which leads to the efficient generation and extraction of charge carriers. Consequently, an impressive photocurrent density of 7 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE is obtained with an ultrathin Ta3N5 shell thickness of less than 30 nm, accompanied by excellent stability and a low onset potential (0.46 VRHE). Mechanistic studies reveal the enhanced performance is attributed to the high-conductivity NbNx core, high-crystalline Ta3N5 mono-grain shell, and the intimate Ta−N−Nb interface bonds, which accelerate the charge-separation capability of the core–shell photoanode. This study demonstrates the key roles of nanostructure design in improving the efficiency of PEC devices.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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