Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Using Cuprous Oxide (Cu2O)-Based Photocathode – A Review
Magazov Y. Aliyev A. Moldabekov K. Kurbanova A. Rakymbekova A. Amze M. Ibrayev N. Kudryashov V.
December 2024Engineered Science Publisher
ES Energy and Environment
2024#26
Here, we present a critical mini-review of the progression achieved and bottlenecks faced in the context of cuprous oxide (Cu2O)-based hybrid cells for photoelectrochemical water splitting, with a special focus on their integration with upconversion materials, photovoltaic systems and photoanodes for unbiased tandem devices. Cu2O photocathodes exhibit attractive properties that make them an appealing option, including a suitable bandgap, low-cost processing, and the potential for solarto-hydrogen efficiencies of up to 18% over a theoretical limit; however, their widespread application is limited by photocorrosion, low photocurrent, and poor light absorption. These systems demonstrate solutions to these challenges in solar-driven hydrogen generation, such as adding upconversion materials to increase the absorption spectrum and a tandem configuration for photovoltage and overall efficiency. It highlights the compact and modular features of this type of cell while reviewing its design principles, material strategies, performance metrics, and large-scale blending with renewable hydrogen production.
Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) , Photoelectrochemical water splitting , Unbiased tandem device , Upconversion
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Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
Renewable Energy Lab, National Laboratory Astana, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
Institute of Molecular Nanophotonics, Buketov Karaganda University, Karaganda, 100024, Kazakhstan
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
Renewable Energy Lab
Institute of Molecular Nanophotonics
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026