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Enhanced Potential of Silicon Carbide in Hydrogen Photocatalysis Applications

Enhanced direct hydrogen production through photocatalysis could be achieved by utilizing silicon carbide's triple-layered structure. This could potentially enhance green hydrogen yields without the need for scarce metals.

Enhanced Potential of Silicon Carbide in Hydrogen Photocatalysis Applications
Enhanced Potential of Silicon Carbide in Hydrogen Photocatalysis Applications

Enhanced Potential of Silicon Carbide in Hydrogen Photocatalysis Applications

In a groundbreaking development, researchers have engineered a new tri-layer silicon carbide catalyst that promises to significantly improve the efficiency of green hydrogen production. This advancement, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could potentially revolutionise the renewable energy sector.

The new catalyst, composed of layers of cubic silicon carbide, nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2), and cobalt oxides (Co3O4), has shown eight times better performance than pure cubic silicon carbide for splitting water into hydrogen. This remarkable improvement is set to address the long-standing challenge of high cost, which has so far hindered the mass adoption of green hydrogen against fossil fuels.

The researchers, hailing from Linköping University, Kyushu University, MAX IV Laboratory, and Dalian University of Technology, have created a SeWS/bilayer-SiC (BL-SiC) heterojunction. This innovative material exhibits a type-I band alignment, which optimises charge separation and transfer, essential for photocatalysis. The light absorption efficiency of the SeWS/BL-SiC heterojunction reaches a remarkable 51.16%, with a quantum efficiency of 52.59%. This results in an original hydrogen production efficiency of 26.9%, even after accounting for potential differences and built-in electric field effects. The efficiency remains impressively high at 22.15%, significantly outperforming many reported photocatalysts.

The new catalyst design is expected to improve the current 1-3% energetic yield in silicon carbide photocatalysis, with the potential for a yield exceeding 10% without the need for rare metals like platinum or palladium, nor any elaborate infrastructure or a continuous power supply.

The advancements in direct photocatalysis of water into hydrogen using silicon carbide (SiC) focus on enhancing efficiency through novel heterojunction designs and material engineering. These breakthroughs aim to tackle issues like charge recombination and light utilisation efficiency, crucial factors in practical photocatalytic water splitting systems.

ON Semiconductor Corporation, a global leader in electrification, is poised to benefit greatly from these advancements. Specialising in sectors like solar energy, batteries, aerospace, telecommunication, data centers, and medical, ON Semi has been doubling down on silicon carbide, a type of silicon-carbon compound used for high-energy electric systems, notably allowing for very high power loads required for the fast charging of electric vehicles (EVs). This strategy has led to a surge in revenues for the company in recent years, carried by the EV revolution.

Green hydrogen, produced without fossil fuel, is being considered as an alternative for decarbonizing energy systems, particularly for transportation, shipping, flying, and heavy industries like steel making and chemicals production. As a leader in the sector, ON Semi is well-positioned to capitalise on the electrification trend, especially in the growth of EVs and other green energies.

[1] Zhang, Y., et al. Manipulating Electron Structure through Dual-Interface Engineering of 3C-SiC Photoanode for Enhanced Solar Water Splitting. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144 (15), 6762–6770. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00424. [2] Wang, J., et al. Catalyst Design for Photocatalytic Water Splitting: Challenges and Opportunities. Chem. Rev., 2020, 120 (23), 13149–13176. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00434. [3] Li, Y., et al. Au/SiC Photocatalysts for Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2017, 56 (33), 9052–9056. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201703706.

Science has witnessed an advancement in environmental-science with the engineering of a new tri-layer silicon carbide catalyst, which could revolutionise the renewable energy sector by significantly improving the efficiency of green hydrogen production. This new catalyst, composed of layers of cubic silicon carbide, nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2), and cobalt oxides (Co3O4), has shown eight times better performance than pure cubic silicon carbide for splitting water into hydrogen. As a global leader in electrification, ON Semiconductor Corporation, specialising in sectors like solar energy, is poised to benefit greatly from this development, particularly in the production of green hydrogen as an alternative for decarbonizing energy systems. Investing in this field could potentially lead to profitable returns in the real-estate and technology sectors, given the growing demand for renewable energy.

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