AUTHOR=Alley Olivia J. , Wyatt Keenan , Steiner Myles A. , Liu Guiji , Kistler Tobias , Zeng Guosong , Larson David M. , Cooper Jason K. , Young James L. , Deutsch Todd G. , Toma Francesca M. 

TITLE=Best Practices in PEC Water Splitting: How to Reliably Measure Solar-to-Hydrogen Efficiency of Photoelectrodes

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2022.884364

DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2022.884364

ISSN=2296-598X

ABSTRACT=Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, which utilizes sunlight and water to produce hydrogen fuel, is potentially one of the most sustainable routes to clean energy. However, to date, similar materials and devices measured in different labs or by different operators lead to quantitatively different results due to the lack of accepted standard operating procedures and established protocols for PEC efficiency testing. With the aim of disseminating good practices within the PEC community, we provide a vetted protocol that describes how to prepare integrated components and accurately measure their solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency. In addition to measurement of hydrogen evolution and STH calculation, this protocol provides details on electrode fabrication, STH test device assembly, light source calibration, and initial material qualification by photocurrent measurements under monochromatic and broadband illumination. Common pitfalls in translating experimental results from any lab to an accurate STH efficiency under an AM1.5G reference spectrum are discussed. A III-V tandem photocathode is used to exemplify the process, though with small modifications the protocol can be applied to photoanodes as well. Dissemination of PEC best practices will help those who are approaching the field, as well as provide guidance for comparing results obtained at different lab sites and by different groups.