Copper (I) Oxide (Cu2O) has been widely researched as a photocathode for overall water splitting due to its high absorption in the visible range, with a band gap of 2.2 eV.  It is made of abundant, inexpensive, and non-toxic elements, making it suitable for large scale production.  However, this material photodegrades under conditions required for practical photoelectrochemical cells (PECs), which hinders its application.  In order to develop preventative techniques, fundamental studies of the degradation process are desired. A major question is how does this degradation vary for Cu2O with different exposed crystal facets. We have synthesized cubic, truncated octahedral, and bipyrimidal Cu2O nanoparticles in order to study their photoelectrochemical response.  Structural characterization was carried out by Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The particles were then used as photocathodes in a PEC, and their photodegradation was studied employing cyclic voltammetry under dark and illuminated conditions.

Photodegradation study of Copper (I) Oxide nanoparticles synthesized with different geometries

245th National Meeting (2013)

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