Scalable Low-Band-Gap SbSe Thin-Film Photocathodes for Efficient Visible-Near-Infrared Solar Hydrogen Evolution.

A highly efficient low-band-gap (1.2-0.8 eV) photoelectrode is critical for accomplishing efficient conversion of visible-near-infrared sunlight into storable hydrogen. Herein, we report an SbSe polycrystalline thin-film photocathode having a low band gap (1.2-1.1 eV) for efficient hydrogen evolution for wide solar-spectrum utilization. The photocathode was fabricated by a facile thermal evaporation of a single SbSe powder source onto the Mo-coated soda-lime glass substrate, followed by annealing under Se vapor and surface modification with an antiphotocorrosive CdS/TiO bilayer and Pt catalyst. The fabricated SbSe(Se-annealed)/CdS/TiO/Pt photocathode achieves a photocurrent density of ca. -8.6 mA cm at 0 V, an onset potential of ca. 0.43 V, a stable photocurrent for over 10 h, and a significant photoresponse up to the near-infrared region (ca. 1040 nm) in near-neutral pH buffered solution (pH 6.5) under AM 1.5G simulated sunlight. The obtained photoelectrochemical performance is attributed to the reliable synthesis of a micrometer-sized SbSe (Se-annealed) thin film as photoabsorber and the successful construction of an appropriate p-n heterojunction at the electrode-liquid interface for effective charge separation. The demonstration of a low-band-gap and high-performance SbSe photocathode with facile fabrication might facilitate the development of cost-effective PEC devices for wide solar-spectrum utilization.