Li Jiahe, Huang Yujie, Wang Haijun, Yang Minji, Han Tao, Ke Gaili, Wang Wenrong, Jiang Hanmei, He Huichao
College of Materials and New Energy, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401331, China.
Ghuizhou Aerosapce XINLI Science & Technology Company Limited, Zunyi 563011, China.
Langmuir. 2025 Aug 5;41(30):20096-20104. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c02297. Epub 2025 Jul 23.
Monoclinic PbCrO is an n-type semiconductor with a band gap of ∼2.2 eV, which has attracted research attentions as photoanode material for solar water splitting in recent years, but few works consider the correlation of PbCrO photoanodes' activity and stability with electrolytes. Herein, typical monoclinic PbCrO films were prepared by a drop-casting method and investigated as photoanodes for solar water splitting in sodium sulfate (NSO), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), potassium bicarbonate (KHCO), sodium borate (NBO), and potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP) aqueous electrolyte. The water oxidation activity of the PbCrO film photoanode was found to be closely related to the electrolyte, and a relatively higher activity was observed on the PbCrO photoanode in PBS and KHP. However, in the five types of electrolytes, the PbCrO film photoanode had unsatisfactory stability due to the presence of photocorrosion, composition transformation, and dissolution, posing a significant challenge to the application of PbCrO in solar water splitting. In the NaSO/KHP mixing electrolyte, improved and stable photocurrent can be achieved on the PbCrO film photoanode for the oxidation of SO into SO. The present work reveals the objective water splitting behaviors of the PbCrO film photoanode in typical electrolytes, which could provide helpful reference and act as a reminder for the research of PbCrO and similar photoanode materials.
单斜晶系的PbCrO是一种带隙约为2.2 eV的n型半导体，近年来作为太阳能水分解的光阳极材料受到了研究关注，但很少有工作考虑PbCrO光阳极的活性和稳定性与电解质的相关性。在此，通过滴铸法制备了典型的单斜晶系PbCrO薄膜，并将其作为光阳极用于在硫酸钠（NSO）、磷酸盐缓冲盐水（PBS）、碳酸氢钾（KHCO）、硼酸钠（NBO）和邻苯二甲酸氢钾（KHP）水性电解质中进行太阳能水分解。发现PbCrO薄膜光阳极的水氧化活性与电解质密切相关，在PBS和KHP中的PbCrO光阳极上观察到相对较高的活性。然而，在这五种电解质中，由于存在光腐蚀、成分转变和溶解，PbCrO薄膜光阳极的稳定性不尽人意，这对PbCrO在太阳能水分解中的应用构成了重大挑战。在NaSO/KHP混合电解质中，PbCrO薄膜光阳极在将SO氧化为SO时可以实现改善且稳定的光电流。目前的工作揭示了PbCrO薄膜光阳极在典型电解质中的客观水分解行为，这可为PbCrO及类似光阳极材料的研究提供有益参考并起到提醒作用。
