TY - JOUR AU - Guosong Zeng AU - Guiji Liu AU - Gabriele Panzeri AU - Chanyeon Kim AU - Chengyu Song AU - Olivia J Alley AU - Alexis T Bell AU - Adam Z Weber AU - Francesca M Toma AB -

Light-driven reduction of CO2 into chemicals using a photoelectrochemical (PEC) approach is considered as a promising way to meet the carbon neutral target. The very top surface of the photoelectrode and semiconductor/electrolyte interface plays a pivotal role in defining the performance for PEC CO2 reduction. However, such impact remains poorly understood. Here, we report an electrodeposition-annealing route for tailoring surface composition of ZnTe photocathodes. Our work demonstrates that a Zn-rich surface on the ZnTe photocathode is essential to impact the CO2 reduction activity and selectivity. In particular, the Zn-rich surface not only facilitated the interfacial charge carrier transfer, but also acted as electrocatalyst for boosting carbon product selectivity and suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction. This work provides a new avenue to optimize the photocathode, as well as improvement of the CO2RR performance.

BT - ACS Energy Letters DA - 10/01/2025 DO - 10.1021/acsenergylett.4c02259 IS - 1 N2 -

Light-driven reduction of CO2 into chemicals using a photoelectrochemical (PEC) approach is considered as a promising way to meet the carbon neutral target. The very top surface of the photoelectrode and semiconductor/electrolyte interface plays a pivotal role in defining the performance for PEC CO2 reduction. However, such impact remains poorly understood. Here, we report an electrodeposition-annealing route for tailoring surface composition of ZnTe photocathodes. Our work demonstrates that a Zn-rich surface on the ZnTe photocathode is essential to impact the CO2 reduction activity and selectivity. In particular, the Zn-rich surface not only facilitated the interfacial charge carrier transfer, but also acted as electrocatalyst for boosting carbon product selectivity and suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction. This work provides a new avenue to optimize the photocathode, as well as improvement of the CO2RR performance.

PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) PY - 2025 SP - 34 EP - 39 T2 - ACS Energy Letters TI - Surface Composition Impacts Selectivity of ZnTe Photocathodes in Photoelectrochemical CO2 Reduction Reaction UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.4c02259 VL - 10 SN - 2380-8195, 2380-8195 ER -