Photoelectrochemical cell, system and process for light-driven production of hydrogen and oxygen with a photoelectrochemical cell, and process for producing the photoelectrochemical cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015068915-A1
Application number	US-201314389564-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 30, 2012
Publication date	Mar 12, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a photoelectrochemical cell 100 for light-driven production of hydrogen and oxygen, especially from water or another electrolyte based on aqueous solution, having a photoelectric layer structure 1 and an electrochemical layer structure 2 in a layer construction 40 , where—the photoelectric layer structure 1 for absorption of light 3 uninfluenced by the electrolyte 10 forms a front side 41 of the layer structure 40 , and—the electrochemical layer structure 2 , for accommodation of the electrolyte 10 , forms a reverse side 42 of the layer construction 40 , and—a conductive and corrosion-inhibiting coupling layer 13 forms electrical contact between the photoelectric layer structure 1 and the electrochemical layer structure 2 in the layer construction 40 , where—the electrochemical layer structure 2 has an electrode structure of a front electrode 21 and an electrode structure of a rear electrode 22 , between which is arranged an ion exchange layer 61 such that an integrated layer construction 40 is formed with the ion exchange layer 61 in contact with the electrode structure of the front electrode 21 formed for conversion of the electrolyte 10 and/or with the electrode structure of the rear electrode 22.

First claim

1 . A photoelectrochemical cell comprising:
a photoelectric layer structure and an electrochemical layer structure in a layer assembly, and a conductive and corrosion-inhibiting coupling layer which electrically contacts the photoelectric layer structure and the electrochemical layer structure to one another in the layer assembly, wherein the photoelectric layer structure for absorption of light unaffected by electrolyte forms a front side of the layer assembly, the electrochemical layer structure for accommodation of the electrolyte forms a back side of the layer assembly, the electrochemical layer structure has an electrode structure of a front electrode and an electrode structure of a back electrode, between which an ion exchange layer is arranged such that the ion exchange layer is in contact with the electrode structure, designed for conversion of the electrolyte, of the front electrode and/or with the electrode structure of the back electrode to form an integrated layer assembly, and the photoelectrochemical cell is suitable for light-driven production of hydrogen and oxygen.

2 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric layer structure and the electrochemical layer structure are integrated as a sequence of layers applied individually in assembly direction in a single layer sequence in the layer assembly.

3 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric layer structure is in modular form, in the form of a photovoltaic cell, and/or the electrochemical layer structure is provided in modular form, in the form of an electrochemical cell, and the photoelectric layer structure and the electrochemical layer structure are assembled via the conductive and corrosion-inhibiting coupling layer in the layer assembly.

4 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode structure of the front electrode and/or the electrode structure of the back electrode has a functional layer, which is provided for conversion of the electrolyte and has been applied as a separate layer on a solid part of the front electrode and/or on a solid part of the back electrode.

5 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode structure of the front electrode and/or the electrode structure of the back electrode for conversion of the water in the electrolyte have a functional region formed in one piece with the front electrode and/or the back electrode.

6 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein a first functional layer and/or functional region on the front electrode is in contact with the ion exchange layer and/or a second functional layer and/or functional region on the back electrode is in contact with the ion exchange layer.

7 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein a contact of the ion exchange layer with a functional layer and/or functional region provided for conversion of water in the electrolyte is a direct contact which extends at least in regions over a cross section of the functional layer and/or functional region, and the contact optionally has a regular and/or irregular arrangement of contact sites distributed over the cross section of the functional layer and/or functional region.

8 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 4 , wherein the functional layer has a surface area-increasing functionality for the front electrode and/or back electrode, and the functional layer optionally has pores, orifices or similar accommodation regions for the electrolyte.

9 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 4 , wherein the functional layer has a functionality which is catalytic for the conversion of water in the electrolyte at the front electrode and/or back electrode.

10 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein a catalyst supported by the electrode structure of the front electrode and/or back electrode is in a particulate and/or immobilized molecular form and/or solid and/or porous layers.

11 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein an active component of a catalyst supported by the electrode structure of the front electrode and/or back electrode is based on transition metal compounds or mixtures of transition metal compounds.

12 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein a support material of a catalyst supported by the electrode structure of the front electrode and/or back electrode is formed on the basis of elements or element compounds of main groups II to IV and/or transition group IVb.

13 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises an acidic aqueous solution.

14 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises a basic aqueous solution.

15 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 14 , wherein the electrolyte comprises a solution of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts of sulphuric acid, nitric acid, or an organic acid.

16 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte comprises an aqueous solution.

17 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the ion exchange layer has an acidic or basic polymer electrolyte membrane.

18 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric layer structure is applied as a thin-film solar cell on a transparent and/or at least partly conductive front layer stack.

19 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein a transparent and conductive front layer stack has an optically transparent conductive layer as a transparent substrate.

20 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive and corrosion-inhibiting coupling layer is applied directly between a structural layer and a front electrode of an electrochemical reactor.

21 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive and corrosion-inhibiting coupling layer is a passivating layer and/or is applied as a conductive layer.

22 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric layer structure forms a multi junction solar cell.

23 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein a solar cell is formed on the basis of Si, and/or SiGe, and/or a III V semiconductor.

24 . The photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric layer structure forms a single-junction solar cell.

25 . A system comprising a multitude of the photoelectrochemical cells according to claim 1 , wherein a first and/or second reaction space of one photoelectrochemical cell is connected by fluid-dynamic means to a corresponding first and/or second reaction space of another photoelectrochemical cell.

26 . A process for light-driven production of hydrogen and oxygen using the photoelectrochemical cell according to claim 1 , the process comprising
absorbing light in the photoelectric layer structure on a front side of the layer assembly, unaffected by the electrolyte, to generate an electrical voltage, accommodating the electrolyte in the electrochemical layer structure on a back side of the layer assembly, applying electrical voltage to the electrochemical layer structure via the electrode structure of the front electrode and the electrode structure of the back electrode, and con

Assignees

• Hoch Sascha
• Blug Matthias
• Busse Jens
• Calvet Wolfram
• Kaiser Bernhard
• Jaegermann Wolfram
• Hahn Hanna
• Zanthoff Horst-Werner
• Evonik Industries Ag

Inventors

• Hoch Sascha
• Blug Matthias
• Busse Jens
• Calvet Wolfram
• Kaiser Bernhard
• Jaegermann Wolfram
• Hahn Hanna
• Zanthoff Horst-Werner

Classifications

• H10F10/172

  comprising multiple PIN junctions, e.g. tandem cells · CPC title

• C25B1/003 Primary

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B9/08

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B1/10

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C25B11/031

  Porous electrodes · CPC title