Dopant effects on conductivity in copper oxide photoelectrochemical cells
By Chia-Ying Chiang and Yoon Shin and Sheryl Ehrman
Published in Applied Energy
2016
Abstract
Hydrogen generation from water splitting reaction with the energy from sunlight via a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell is one of the ultimate goals in the renewable energy field. In the \PEC\ process, energetic excited electrons can go through fast recombination with the holes, resulting in photon energy waste and lowering the solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency. So it is essential to increase the conductivity and lower the resistance of the photoelectrodes. Here, copper oxide thin film was chosen for the demonstration of the importance for the conductivity of the film toward the photocurrent density generation. By doping with Li, Ni, Co, Ag, Zn and Mg, the conductivity of the films increases from 3