Method for producing photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10337112-B2
Application number	US-201715692496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 10, 2015
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition that exhibits excellent detachability between the substrate and the photocatalyst layer and exhibits high photocurrent density. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition of the invention includes: a metal layer forming step of forming a metal layer on one surface of a first substrate by a vapor phase film-forming method or a liquid phase film-forming method; a photocatalyst layer forming step of forming a photocatalyst layer by subjecting the metal layer to at least one treatment selected from an oxidation treatment, a nitriding treatment, a sulfurization treatment, or a selenization treatment; a current collecting layer forming step of forming a current collecting layer on a surface of the photocatalyst layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the first substrate; and a detachment step of detaching the first substrate from the photocatalyst layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition, the method comprising:
a metal layer forming step of forming a metal layer on one surface of a first substrate by a vapor phase film-forming method or a liquid phase film-forming method;
a photocatalyst layer forming step of forming a photocatalyst layer by subjecting the metal layer to at least one treatment selected from an oxidation treatment, a nitriding treatment, a sulfurization treatment, or a selenization treatment;
a current collecting layer forming step of forming a current collecting layer on a surface of the photocatalyst layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the first substrate; and
a detachment step of detaching the first substrate from the photocatalyst layer.

2. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the photocatalyst layer forming step is a step of performing the oxidation treatment, and then performing at least one treatment selected from the nitriding treatment, the sulfurization treatment, and the selenization treatment.

3. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 2 , wherein the metal that constitutes the metal layer is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ta, Nb, Ti, W, Ba, La, Sr, Ca, Fe, Bi, V, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Ag, Cd, Ga, In, Sm, and Mg.

4. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 2 , further comprising:
after the photocatalyst layer forming step and before the current collecting layer forming step, a contact layer forming step of forming a contact layer containing a semiconductor or a good conductor on a surface of the photocatalyst layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the first substrate.

5. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 2 , further comprising:
after the current collecting layer forming step and before the detachment step, a second substrate laminating step of laminating a second substrate on a surface of the current collecting layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the photocatalyst layer.

6. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 2 , wherein the photocatalyst layer has a thickness of 100 nm to 1,200 nm.

7. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 2 , wherein the first substrate is a silicon substrate.

8. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the metal that constitutes the metal layer is at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ta, Nb, Ti, W, Ba, La, Sr, Ca, Fe, Bi, V, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Ag, Cd, Ga, In, Sm, and Mg.

9. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 8 , further comprising:
after the photocatalyst layer forming step and before the current collecting layer forming step, a contact layer forming step of forming a contact layer containing a semiconductor or a good conductor on a surface of the photocatalyst layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the first substrate.

10. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 8 , further comprising:
after the current collecting layer forming step and before the detachment step, a second substrate laminating step of laminating a second substrate on a surface of the current collecting layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the photocatalyst layer.

11. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 8 , wherein the photocatalyst layer has a thickness of 100 nm to 1,200 nm.

12. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 8 , wherein the first substrate is a silicon substrate.

13. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 1 , further comprising:
after the photocatalyst layer forming step and before the current collecting layer forming step, a contact layer forming step of forming a contact layer containing a semiconductor or a good conductor on a surface of the photocatalyst layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the first substrate.

14. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 13 , further comprising:
after the current collecting layer forming step and before the detachment step, a second substrate laminating step of laminating a second substrate on a surface of the current collecting layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the photocatalyst layer.

15. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 13 , wherein the photocatalyst layer has a thickness of 100 nm to 1,200 nm.

16. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 13 , wherein the first substrate is a silicon substrate.

17. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 1 , further comprising:
after the current collecting layer forming step and before the detachment step, a second substrate laminating step of laminating a second substrate on a surface of the current collecting layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the photocatalyst layer.

18. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 17 , wherein the photocatalyst layer has a thickness of 100 nm to 1,200 nm.

19. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the photocatalyst layer has a thickness of 100 nm to 1,200 nm.

20. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the first substrate is a silicon substrate.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp
• Univ Tokyo
• Japan Tech Research Association Of Artificial Photosynthetic Chemical Process

Inventors

• Domen Kazunari
• Hisatomi Takashi
• Minegishi Tsutomu
• Wang Chizhong
• Katayama Chisato

Classifications

• C23C14/165

  by cathodic sputtering · CPC title

• C01B13/0207

  Water · CPC title

• B01J2219/1203

  Incoherent waves · CPC title

• B01J37/20

  Sulfiding · CPC title

• Y02E60/366

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic