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Photoelectrochemical cell
 
 
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Photoelectrochemical cells or PECs are solar cell
Solar cell

A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts sunlight directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. Sometimes the term solar cell is reserved for devices intended specifically to capture energy from sunlight, while the term photovoltaic cell is used when the source is unspecified....
s which generate electrical energy from light, including visible light. Each cell consists of a semiconducting photoanode and a metal cathode
Cathode

A cathode is an electrode through which electric charge flows out of a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: CCD .From an electrochemical point of view, positively charged ion invariably move toward the cathode and/or negatively charged ion move away from it to balance the electrons arriving from external circuitry....
 immersed in an electrolyte
Electrolyte

An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrical conductor medium. Because they generally consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutions, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
.

Some photoelectrochemical cells simply produce electrical energy, while others produce hydrogen
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
 in a process similar to the electrolysis of water
Electrolysis of water

Electrolysis of water is the decomposition of water into oxygen and hydrogen gas due to an electricity being passed through the water. This electrolysis is used in some industrial applications when hydrogen is needed....
.

his type of photoelectrochemical cell, electrolysis
Electrolysis

In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of separating Chemical bond chemical compound by passing an electric current through them....
 of water to hydrogen
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
 and oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 gas occurs when the anode
Anode

An anode is an electrode through which electric charge flows into a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: ACID . Electrons flow in the opposite direction to the positive electric current....
 is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation takes the form of wave propagation waves in a vacuum or in matter. EM radiation has an electric field and magnetic field component which oscillate in phase perpendicular to each other and to the direction of energy Wave propagation....
.






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Photoelectrochemical cells or PECs are solar cell
Solar cell

A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts sunlight directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. Sometimes the term solar cell is reserved for devices intended specifically to capture energy from sunlight, while the term photovoltaic cell is used when the source is unspecified....
s which generate electrical energy from light, including visible light. Each cell consists of a semiconducting photoanode and a metal cathode
Cathode

A cathode is an electrode through which electric charge flows out of a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: CCD .From an electrochemical point of view, positively charged ion invariably move toward the cathode and/or negatively charged ion move away from it to balance the electrons arriving from external circuitry....
 immersed in an electrolyte
Electrolyte

An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrical conductor medium. Because they generally consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutions, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
.

Some photoelectrochemical cells simply produce electrical energy, while others produce hydrogen
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
 in a process similar to the electrolysis of water
Electrolysis of water

Electrolysis of water is the decomposition of water into oxygen and hydrogen gas due to an electricity being passed through the water. This electrolysis is used in some industrial applications when hydrogen is needed....
.

Photogeneration cell

In this type of photoelectrochemical cell, electrolysis
Electrolysis

In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of separating Chemical bond chemical compound by passing an electric current through them....
 of water to hydrogen
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
 and oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 gas occurs when the anode
Anode

An anode is an electrode through which electric charge flows into a polarized electrical device. Mnemonic: ACID . Electrons flow in the opposite direction to the positive electric current....
 is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation

Electromagnetic radiation takes the form of wave propagation waves in a vacuum or in matter. EM radiation has an electric field and magnetic field component which oscillate in phase perpendicular to each other and to the direction of energy Wave propagation....
. This is also referred to as artificial photosynthesis
Artificial photosynthesis

Artificial photosynthesis is a research field that attempts to replicate the natural process of photosynthesis, converting sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen....
 and has been suggested as a way of storing solar energy in an energy carrier, namely hydrogen
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
. This hydrogen can then be used as fuel.

There are two types of photochemical systems with photocatalysis
Photocatalysis

In chemistry, photocatalysis is the acceleration of a photoreaction in the presence of a catalyst. In catalysed photolysis, light is absorbed by an adsorbed substrate....
, one that use semiconductor surfaces as catalysts (the semiconductor
Semiconductor

A semiconductor is a material that has electrical conductivity between those of a Electrical conductor and an electrical insulation; it can vary over that wide range either permanently or dynamically....
 surface absorbs solar energy and acts as an electrode for water splitting
Water splitting

Water splitting is the general term for a chemical reaction in which water is converted into oxygen and hydrogen. Water splitting is actively researched because demand for cheap hydrogen is expected to rise with the new hydrogen economy....
) the other uses in-solution metal complexes as catalysts (When the dissolved metal complex absorbs energy, it creates an electric charge separation that drives the water-splitting reaction).

The photogeneration cells passed the 10 percent economic efficiency barrier. Lab tests confirmed the efficiency
Efficiency

Efficiency may refer to:...
 of the process. The main problem is the corrosion
Corrosion

Corrosion means the breaking down of essential properties in a material due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means a loss of electrons of metals reacting with water and oxygen....
 of the semiconductors which are in direct contact with water. Research is going on to meet the United States Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy

The United States Department of Energy is a United States Cabinet-level department of the United States government of the United States responsible for Energy policy of the United States and nuclear safety....
 requirement, a service life
Service life

A product's service life is its expected lifetime, or the acceptable period of use in service. It is the time that any manufactured item can be expected to be 'serviceable' or supported by its originating manufacturer....
 of 10000 hours.

Graetzel cell

Graetzel cells or dye-sensitized solar cells; these cells use dye-adsorbed highly porous nanocrystalline titanium oxide (nc-TiO2) to produce electrical energy.

History

  • 1967 Akira Fujishima
    Akira Fujishima

    is a Japanese chemist, professor emeritus, University of Tokyo.He is known for his significant contributions in discovery and research of photocatalytic and superhydrophilic properties of titanium dioxide....
     discovers the Honda-Fujishima effect.


See also

  • Photohydrogen
    Photohydrogen

    Photohydrogen is hydrogen produced with the help of artificial or natural light This is how the leaf of a tree splits water molecules into protons , electrons and oxygen ....
  • Artificial photosynthesis
    Artificial photosynthesis

    Artificial photosynthesis is a research field that attempts to replicate the natural process of photosynthesis, converting sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen....
  • Glossary of fuel cell terms
    Glossary of fuel cell terms

    The Glossary of fuel cell terms lists the definitions of many terms used within the fuel cell industry. The terms in this fuel cell glossary may be used by fuel cell industry associations, in education material and fuel cell codes and standards to name but a few....
  • Photodissociation
    Photodissociation

    Photodissociation, photolysis, or photodecomposition is a chemical reaction in which a chemical compound is broken down by photons. Photodissociation is not limited to visible light, but to have enough energy to break up a molecule, the photon is likely to be an electromagnetic wave with the energy of visible light or higher, such...
  • Photoelectrolysis
    Photoelectrolysis

    Photoelectrolysis occurs in a photoelectrochemical cell when light is used for electrolysis. In other words, photoelectrolysis is the conversion of light into a Current , and then the division of a molecule using that current....
  • Photosynthesis
    Photosynthesis

    File:Seawifs global biosphere.jpgPhotosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight....
  • Photochemical reaction
    Photochemical reaction

    A photochemical reaction is a chemical reaction which is induced by electromagnetic wave . Examples of photochemical organic reactions are electrocyclic reactions, photoisomerization and Norrish reactions....
  • Photochemistry
    Photochemistry

    Photochemistry, a sub-discipline of chemistry, is the study of the interactions between atoms, small molecules, and light . The pillars of photochemistry are UV/VIS spectroscopy, photochemical reactions in organic chemistry and photosynthesis in biochemistry....
  • Timeline of hydrogen technologies
    Timeline of hydrogen technologies

    Timeline of hydrogen technologies A timeline of the history of hydrogen technology....
Other third generation solar cells
  • Nanocrystal solar cell
    Nanocrystal solar cell

    Nanocrystal solar cells or quantum dot solar cells, are solar cells based on a silicon Substrate with a coating of nanocrystals.While previous methods of quantum dot creation relied on expensive molecular beam epitaxy processes, fabrication using colloidal synthesis allows for a more cost-effective manufacture....
  • Polymer solar cell
    Polymer solar cell

    Polymer solar cells are a type of organic solar cell , or organic photovoltaic cell that produce electricity from sunlight using polymers. It is a relatively novel technology, they are being researched by universities, national laboratories and several companies around the world....


Further reading

  • Michael Gratzel. Photoelectrochemical Cells. Nature, Vol 414, 15 November 2001.
  • Michael Gratzel. Solar Energy Conversion By Dye-Sensitized Photovoltaic Cells. Inorganic Chemistry, 2005, vol 44, 6841-6851.
  • Juan Bisquert, David Cahen, Gary Hodes, Sven Ru1hle, and Arie Zaban. Physical Chemical Principles of Photovoltaic Conversion with Nanoparticulate, Mesoporous Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 8106-8118


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