Dr. Ilvydas Matulionis Profile

Dr. Ilvydas Matulionis

Research Associate at FE ThinFilms LLC

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Proceedings Article | 25 August 2010 Paper

Surface modification of a-SiC photoelectrodes for photocurrent enhancement

Ilvydas Matulionis, Jian Hu, Feng Zhu, Josh Gallon, Nicolas Gaillard, Todd Deutsch, Eric Miller, Arun Madan

Proceedings Volume 7770, 77700Z (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.860669

KEYWORDS: Nanoparticles, Titanium, Amorphous silicon, Interfaces, Hydrogen, Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, Oxides, Semiconductors, Thin films, Silicon

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Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water dissociation into hydrogen and oxygen at a semiconductor-liquid interface offers an environmentally benign approach to hydrogen production. We have developed an integrated PEC device using hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC or a-SiC:H) material as photoelectrode in conjunction with an amorphous silicon (a-Si) tandem photovoltaic device. Such a "hybrid PV/a-SiC" PEC cell produces photocurrent of about 1.3 mA/cm² in a short-circuit configuration and is durable in a pH2 electrolyte. On the other hand, the aforementioned structure finished with ITO contacts and measured as a solid-state device features a current density of 5 mA/cm², indicating a potential solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency of about 6% in the hybrid PV/a-SiC PEC cell. The much lower photocurrent measured in the hybrid PEC cell suggests that there exists an interfacial barrier between the a-SiC and electrolyte, which hinders the photocurrent extraction. In order to mitigate against the interfacial barrier and hence improve the photo-generated charge carrier transport through the a-SiC/electrolyte interface, we have explored several surface modification techniques, namely the use of metallic nano-particles (such as platinum or palladium) and the growth of an additional thin layer (a-SiNx, carbon-rich a-SiC, a-SiF, etc.) on the top of a-SiC by PECVD. In the latter case, it is observed that the addition of a thin PECVD-fabricated layer does not significantly improve the photocurrent, presumably due to a poor band alignment at the a-SiC/electrolyte interface. The use of lower work function nanoparticles like titanium has led to promising results in terms of photocurrent enhancement and an a nodic shift in the onset potential.

Proceedings Article | 9 September 2008 Paper

Development of a corrosion-resistant amorphous silicon carbide photoelectrode for solar-to-hydrogen photovoltaic/photoelectrochemical devices

Ilvydas Matulionis, Feng Zhu, Jian Hu, Todd Deutsch, Augusto Kunrath, Eric Miller, Bjorn Marsen, Arun Madan

Proceedings Volume 7044, 70440D (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.794287

KEYWORDS: Platinum, Corrosion, Amorphous silicon, Electrodes, Hydrogen, Transparent conductors, Polishing, Photovoltaics, Zinc oxide, Solar energy

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Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting at a semiconductor-electrolyte interface using sunlight is of considerable interest as it offers a clean approach to hydrogen production. PEC cells require semiconductor photoelectrode materials fulfilling a number of important requirements, such as band-edge alignment, corrosion resistance to electrolyte, and adequate current generation. We report the development of RF-PECVD-deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) photoelectrodes with improved durability, which, when combined with a-Si:H tandem photovoltaic devices, should produce hydrogen directly from water under sunlight. The a-SiC:H is commonly grown with a bandgap in excess of 2.0 eV and completes the PEC device by providing contact with the electrolyte, proper band-edge alignment, and acts as a buffer for the a-Si:H tandem structure. Effects of the pH of electrolyte, type of substrates, and a platinum nanoparticle coating on the durability of a-SiC photoelectrodes will be presented. From these studies we surmise that corrosion or damage mechanism occurring on a-SiC:H layer could be divided into different aspects of physical and chemical. From the physical point of view, defects associated with spikes in textured TCO substrates, roughness of stainless steel, or other sources of pinholes may initiate delamination as confirmed by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and EDS (Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) studies. Chemically, the production of hydrogen involves reactions that may etch the electrode, especially when physical defects are involved. We observe that reducing the acidity of the electrolyte (increasing the pH from 0 to 2) significantly reduces corrosion while the useful photocurrent output of the a-SiC:H p/i structure is unaffected.

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