title: Stable solar-driven oxidation of water by semiconducting photoanodes protected by transparent catalytic nickel oxide films.
abstract: Reactively sputtered nickel oxide (NiOx) films provide transparent, antireflective, electrically conductive, chemically stable coatings that also are highly active electrocatalysts for the oxidation of water to O2(g). These NiOx coatings provide protective layers on a variety of technologically important semiconducting photoanodes, including textured crystalline Si passivated by amorphous silicon, crystalline n-type cadmium telluride, and hydrogenated amorphous silicon. Under anodic operation in 1.0 M aqueous potassium hydroxide (pH 14) in the presence of simulated sunlight, the NiOx films stabilized all of these self-passivating, high-efficiency semiconducting photoelectrodes for >100 h of sustained, quantitative solar-driven oxidation of water to O2(g).
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125;
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; Engineering and Applied Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125;
authors.forename: Fadl H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Saadi
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125;
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lichterman
authors.affiliation: Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Southampton, Hampshire SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: William G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Hale
authors.affiliation: Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia;
authors.forename: Hsin-Ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; Engineering and Applied Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125;
authors.forename: Xinghao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and.
authors.forename: Noah T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Plymale
authors.affiliation: Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; Engineering and Applied Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125;
authors.forename: Stefan T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Omelchenko
authors.affiliation: Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia;
authors.forename: Jr-Hau
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125;
authors.forename: Kimberly M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Papadantonakis
authors.affiliation: Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; Beckman Institute Molecular Materials Research Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; and.
authors.forename: Bruce S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Brunschwig
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; Beckman Institute Molecular Materials Research Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; and Kavli Nanoscience Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 nslewis@caltech.edu.
authors.forename: Nathan S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Lewis
keywords: electrocatalysis; nickel oxide; photoanode stabilization; solar-driven water oxidation