RT Journal Article
T1 High-performance and stable NH3 production using a TiO2-protected Si photocathode and patterned Au loading
A1 Tayyebi, Ahmad
A1 Giménez López, María del Carmen
A1 Jang, Ji-Wook
AB Crystalline silicon (c-Si) is a promising material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) ammonia (NH3) production from nitrate (NO3−) reduction owing to its appropriate band gap and optimal charge-transport properties. However, c-Si is not stable in aqueous solutions, causing the detachment of catalysts from the c-Si photoelectrode and resulting in a dramatic decrease in the performance. Furthermore, electrocatalysts on c-Si block light, therby reducing the PEC NH3-production efficiency. Herein, we stabilized and increased the efficiency of the c-Si photocathode by TiO2 deposition and loaded an optimized amount of Au using an e-beam patterning, respectively. We found that TiO2 not only protects the c-Si photoelectrode from the electrolyte but also promotes strong bonding between Au and the c-Si photoelectrode. Notably, TiO2 showed a synergistic effect with the Au electrocatalyst in increasing the faradaic efficiency (FE) of NO3− reduction for NH3 production, which was further confirmed by density functional theory calculations. Overall, the Au-loaded TiO2-protected c-Si photoelectrode showed a stable and record-high NH3-production rate of 1590 ± 40 μgNH3 cm−2 h−1 with an FE of 83.4% ± 5.6% at −0.35 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode.
PB Royal Society of Chemistry
SN 2753-801X
YR 2025
FD 2025-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42137
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42137
LA eng
NO EES Catal., 2025,3, 446-458
NO This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF; RS-2023-00222006, 2019H1D3A1A01103006, 2022H1D 3A3A01081140, and RS-2023-00257666), as well as the Research Fund (1.240005.01) of the UNIST, sponsored this study (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology). A. T. and M. G. L. acknowledges financial support from the European Union (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, 101107294)
DS Minerva
RD 28 abr 2026