Issue 12, 2014

Cobalt sulphide microtube array as cathode in photoelectrochemical water splitting with photoanodes

Abstract

We report on a cobalt sulphide (CoS) electrode prepared by simple and scalable chemical bath deposition (CBD), which performs as a highly efficient and robust electrocatalyst for the H2 evolution reaction (HER) in both neutral and pH 13 electrolyte solution at a small overpotential (η < 90 mV). At η = 390 mV, turnover frequencies of 38.8 ± 1.9 and 52.1 ± 2.0 mol H2 (mol Co)−1 h−1 were achieved with high stability (Faradaic efficiency >95% for at least 72 h) and turnover numbers of approximately 2600 and 3400 in neutral and basic electrolyte solution, respectively. The rate of HER per geometric area is further enhanced by employing a CoS microtube array (microCoS), which is prepared by sulphurisation of a cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanorod array template using CBD. MicroCoS shows excellent HER activity when it is coupled with a cadmium sulphide sensitised zinc oxide photoanode in the presence of sodium sulphide and a nanostructured hematite (α-Fe2O3) photoanode from photoelectrochemical water splitting in basic electrolyte solution.

Graphical abstract: Cobalt sulphide microtube array as cathode in photoelectrochemical water splitting with photoanodes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
18 Jun 2014
Accepted
15 Aug 2014
First published
15 Aug 2014
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2014,5, 4906-4913

Author version available

Cobalt sulphide microtube array as cathode in photoelectrochemical water splitting with photoanodes

C. Lin, D. Mersch, D. A. Jefferson and E. Reisner, Chem. Sci., 2014, 5, 4906 DOI: 10.1039/C4SC01811G

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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