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Multijunction Approaches to Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

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Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production

Part of the book series: Electronic Materials: Science & Technology ((EMST,volume 102))

Abstract

The key to successful deployment of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting for commercial renewable hydrogen production will be in the identification and development of innovative semiconductor materials systems and devices, likely involving multijunction configurations. Multijunction approaches offer some of the best hope for achieving practical PEC hydrogen production in the near term, but complex materials and interface issues still need to be addressed by the scientific community. This chapter explores the challenges and benefits of large-scale solar water splitting for renewable hydrogen production, with specific focus on the multijunction PEC production pathways. The technical motivation and approach in the R&D of multijunction PEC devices and systems are considered, and examples of progress in laboratory scale prototypes are presented.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge and express their great admiration for all members of the international PEC research and development community; with special nods of appreciation to the US Department of Energy’s PEC Working Group supported by the Fuel Cells Technologies Office, and to Annex-26 of the International Energy Agency’s Hydrogen Implementing Agreement. They also thank the members of the Thin Films Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, including Drs. Nicolas Gaillard, Bor Yann Liaw, Yuancheng Chang, and Richard Rocheleau, as well as Jess Kaneshiro, Jeremy Kowalczyk, Xi Song, and Brett Ikei for their encouragement and support to this effort.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC, USA

    Eric L. Miller

  2. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honoulu, HI, USA

    Alex DeAngelis & Stewart Mallory

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  1. Eric L. Miller
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  2. Alex DeAngelis
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  3. Stewart Mallory
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Correspondence to Eric L. Miller .

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  1. Dept. Chemical Technology, Particle Technology Group, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 136, Delft, 2628 BL, Netherlands

    Roel van de Krol

  2. Fac. Sciences de Base, Inst. Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, CH G1 525, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland

    Michael Grätzel

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Miller, E.L., DeAngelis, A., Mallory, S. (2012). Multijunction Approaches to Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. In: van de Krol, R., Grätzel, M. (eds) Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production. Electronic Materials: Science & Technology, vol 102. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1380-6_7

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