759
Bandgap Optimization of Copper Indium Gallium Disulfide Chalcopyrites for Solar-Assisted Water Splitting
In the present communication, we report on our efforts to synthesize 1.8-2.2 eV band-gap chalcopyrite materials for PEC water splitting. Specifically, we investigated the effect of sulfur on the optical and photoelectrochemical characteristics of the copper chalcopyrite material class. Using co-evaporated 1 μm-thick CuGaSe2 as baseline system, we demonstrate that the substitution of selenium with sulfur is accomplished through a simple annealing step. As a result, a dramatic change in optical properties was observed, with a bandgap increase from 1.6 eV (CuGaSe2) to 2.4 eV (CuGaS2), in good agreement with theoretical predictions[ii]. Then, by simply adjusting the indium content in the film during the initial growth process, the bandgap of sulfurized copper chalcopyrite was decreased from 2.4 eV [GGI=Ga/(Ga+In)=1] to 2.2 eV (GGI»0.8) and finally to 2.0 eV (GGI»0.7), as presented in Fig. 1. X-ray diffraction data (Fig. 2) indicated successful bulk sulfurization by the shift of the prominent (112), (220), and (312) reflections to higher angles. Preliminary PEC analyses revealed an anodic shift of the flatband potential with increasing bandgap, when compared to CuGaSe2. This suggests that the bandgap modification in sulfurized films primarily stems from a downward shift of the valence band, an ideal situation for p-type PEC systems. Saturated photocurrent densities greater than -5 mA/cm2 were achieved with 2.0 eV red CuIn0.3Ga0.7S2 photocathodes in 0.5M H2SO4 under AM1.5G simulated illumination.
