Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, Vol.50, No.1, 63-69, 2020
Plasmon-enhanced hierarchical photoelectrodes with mechanical flexibility for hydrogen generation from urea solution and human urine
We have demonstrated plasmon-enhanced flexible and hierarchical photoanodes for hydrogen production from human urine in a photoelectrochemical cell. The photoanodes consist of cobalt-doped alpha-Fe2O3 nanorod arrays functionalized with Au nanoparticles and Ni(OH)(2). The Au nanoparticles and Ni(OH)(2) work as plasmonic nanostructures and urea oxidation catalyst, respectively. Benefiting from the plasmonic and catalytic effects, the photoanodes exhibit an AM 1.5 photocurrent of 5.00.1 mA cm(-2) (urea solution) and 7.5 +/- 0.1 mA cm(-2) (human urine) at 0.3 V versus Ag/AgCl. At a Pt counter electrode, continuous hydrogen gas evolution is achieved at a small bias. With their high performance and mechanical flexibility that facilitates the large-scale transportation and implementation in the field, the photoanodes are paving a sustainable way towards hydrogen production and urine treatment.
Keywords:Flexible photoelectrode;Hydrogen production;Photoelectrochemical cell;Urine;Plasmonic effects