A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London has created devices that can mimic the natural photosynthesis process but produce fuels like hydrogen instead of sugars.
These artificial leaf devices were made from bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) and other sustainable materials, harvesting sunlight to produce O2, H2 and CO. The discovery could help overcome some of the key challenges in solar fuel production.
Currently, most Earth-abundant light-absorbing materials have limited performance or stability. Initially, BiOI was also rejected as a solution for solar fuel applications due to its poor stability in water. However, the study published in Nature Materials states that this non-toxic semiconductor alternative could be key to the production of green hydrogen.
“A few years ago, we demonstrated that BiOI solar cells are more stable than those using state-of-the-art perovskite light absorbers,” said Dr Robert Hoye, a lecturer...