title: Stable hybrid organic/inorganic photocathodes for hydrogen evolution with amorphous WO3hole selective contacts.
abstract: Photoelectrochemical H2production through hybrid organic/inorganic interfaces exploits the capability of polymeric absorbers to drive photo-induced electron transfer to an electrocatalyst in a water environment. Photoelectrode architectures based on solution-processed organic semiconductors are now emerging as low-cost alternatives to crystalline inorganic semiconductors based on Si, oxides and III-V alloys. In this work, we demonstrate that the stability of a hybrid organic/inorganic photocathode, employing a P3HT:PCBM blend as photoactive material, can be considerably improved by introducing an electrochemically stable WO3hole selective layer, paired with a TiO2electron selective layer. This hybrid photoelectrode exhibits a photocurrent of 2.48 mA cm-2at 0 VRHE, +0.56 VRHEonset potential and a state-of the art operational activity of more than 10 hours. This work gives the perspective that photoelectrodes based on organic semiconductors, coupled with proper inorganic selective contacts, represent a sound new option for the efficient and durable photoelectrochemical conversion of solar energy into fuels.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nano Science and Technology@PoliMi, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Pascoli 70/3, 20133 Milano, Italy. fabio.difonzo@iit.it.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mezzetti
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fumagalli
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alfano
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Iadicicco
authors.forename: Maria Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Antognazza
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: di Fonzo