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A thermally synergistic photo-electrochemical hydrogen generator operating under concentrated solar irradiation

Nature Energy volume 4, pages 399–407 (2019)Cite this article

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Abstract

Achieving high current densities while maintaining high energy conversion efficiency is one of the main challenges for enhancing the competitiveness of photo-electrochemical devices. We describe a concept that allows this challenge to be overcome by operating under concentrated solar irradiation (up to 474 kW m−2), using thermal integration, mass transport optimization and a close electronic integration between the photoabsorber and electrocatalyst. We quantify the increase in the theoretical maximum efficiencies resulting from thermal integration, and experimentally validate the concept using a III–V-based photoabsorber and IrRuOx–Pt-based electrocatalysts. We reach current densities higher than 0.88 A cm−2 at calculated solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies above 15%. Device performance, dynamic response and stability are investigated, demonstrating the ability to produce hydrogen stably under varying conditions for more than two hours. The current density and output power (27 W) achieved provide a pathway for device scalability aimed towards the large-scale deployment of photo-electrochemical hydrogen production.

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Fig. 1: Thermal management concept.
Fig. 2: Illustration of the integrated PEC device.
Fig. 3: Steady-state and dynamic characterization of the CIPEC.
Fig. 4: Review of the STH efficiencies (per standard I) and electrochemical current densities for different demonstrations.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Data used to create Fig. 4 and Supplementary Table 6 are available publically via the http://specdc.epfl.ch/ tool.

Code availability

The source code used for the calculation of the thermal integration potential (and Fig. 1 and Supplementary Fig. 1) is available from the corresponding author on request.

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Acknowledgements

This material is based on work performed with financial support from the Nano-Tera.ch initiative, as part of the SHINE project (grant number 145936), and a Starting Grant of the Swiss National Science Foundation, as part of the SCOUTS project (grant number 155876). We thank J.-W. Schüttauf and S. Essig from the Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique for useful input and help with the I–V characterizations of the III–V solar cells. We thank G. Corradini from the Center of MicroNanoTechnology at the EPFL for discussions and help with the preparation of the PV component, and C. Suter from the LRESE at the EPFL for discussions and help with irradiation characterizations of the HFSS. We thank I. Samim for deploying the PEC demonstration comparison plot in the form of a dynamic plotting tool available at http://specdc.epfl.ch/.

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  1. Laboratory of Renewable Energy Science and Engineering, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Saurabh Tembhurne, Fredy Nandjou & Sophia Haussener

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  1. Saurabh Tembhurne
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Contributions

S.H. and S.T. developed the project. S.T. designed and implemented the device, performed the experiments, reviewed the various PEC hydrogen production demonstrators and prepared the manuscript. F.N. fabricated the electrochemical component and test bench, performed the experiments and contributed to the manuscript. S.H. supervised the design and implementation of the system, performed the simulation work on the benefit of the thermal management concept, and contributed to the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sophia Haussener.

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Supplementary Information

Supplementary notes 1–9, Supplementary equations 1–5, Supplementary Figs. 1–16, Supplementary Tables 1–7, Supplementary references

Supplementary Data 1

Supplementary Data 1 - Data for Supplementary Table 6 and Fig. 4

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Tembhurne, S., Nandjou, F. & Haussener, S. A thermally synergistic photo-electrochemical hydrogen generator operating under concentrated solar irradiation. Nat Energy 4, 399–407 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-019-0373-7

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