IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natene/v10y2025i5d10.1038_s41560-025-01736-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Enhanced solar water oxidation and unassisted water splitting using graphite-protected bulk heterojunction organic photoactive layers

Author

Listed:
  • Matyas Daboczi

    (Imperial College London
    HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research)

  • Flurin Eisner

    (Imperial College London
    Queen Mary University of London)

  • Joel Luke

    (Imperial College London)

  • Shi Wei Yuan

    (Imperial College London)

  • Noof Al Lawati

    (Imperial College London)

  • Maoqing Zhi

    (Imperial College London
    Imperial College London)

  • Mengya Yang

    (Imperial College London)

  • Jolanda Simone Müller

    (Imperial College London)

  • Katherine Stewart

    (Imperial College London)

  • Ji-Seon Kim

    (Imperial College London)

  • Jenny Nelson

    (Imperial College London)

  • Salvador Eslava

    (Imperial College London)

Abstract

Polymer donors and non-fullerene acceptors have played an important role as photoactive materials in the development of high-efficiency organic solar cells and have immense potential in devices for direct solar hydrogen generation. However, their use in direct solar water-splitting devices has been limited by their instability in aqueous environment and recombination losses at the interface with catalysts. Here we report anodes containing PM6:D18:L8-BO photoactive layers reaching high solar water oxidation photocurrent density over 25 mA cm−2 at +1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode and days-long operational stability. This was achieved by integrating the organic photoactive layer with a graphite sheet functionalized with earth-abundant NiFeOOH water oxidation catalyst, which provides both water resistance and electrical connection between the catalyst and the photoactive layer without any losses. Using monolithic tandem anodes containing organic PM6:D18:L8-BO and PTQ10:GS-ISO photoactive layers, we achieve a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 5%. These results pave the way towards high-efficiency, stable and unassisted solar hydrogen generation by low-cost organic photoactive materials.

Suggested Citation

  • Matyas Daboczi & Flurin Eisner & Joel Luke & Shi Wei Yuan & Noof Al Lawati & Maoqing Zhi & Mengya Yang & Jolanda Simone Müller & Katherine Stewart & Ji-Seon Kim & Jenny Nelson & Salvador Eslava, 2025. "Enhanced solar water oxidation and unassisted water splitting using graphite-protected bulk heterojunction organic photoactive layers," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 10(5), pages 581-591, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:10:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1038_s41560-025-01736-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-025-01736-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-025-01736-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41560-025-01736-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Je Min Yu & Jungho Lee & Yoon Seo Kim & Jaejung Song & Jiyeon Oh & Sang Myeon Lee & Mingyu Jeong & Yongseon Kim & Ja Hun Kwak & Seungho Cho & Changduk Yang & Ji-Wook Jang, 2020. "High-performance and stable photoelectrochemical water splitting cell with organic-photoactive-layer-based photoanode," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Hao Yang & Yawen Liu & Yunxuan Ding & Fusheng Li & Linqin Wang & Bin Cai & Fuguo Zhang & Tianqi Liu & Gerrit Boschloo & Erik M. J. Johansson & Licheng Sun, 2023. "Monolithic FAPbBr3 photoanode for photoelectrochemical water oxidation with low onset-potential and enhanced stability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Dongseok Kang & James L. Young & Haneol Lim & Walter E. Klein & Huandong Chen & Yuzhou Xi & Boju Gai & Todd G. Deutsch & Jongseung Yoon, 2017. "Printed assemblies of GaAs photoelectrodes with decoupled optical and reactive interfaces for unassisted solar water splitting," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 2(5), pages 1-5, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhonghui Zhu & Matyas Daboczi & Minzhi Chen & Yimin Xuan & Xianglei Liu & Salvador Eslava, 2024. "Ultrastable halide perovskite CsPbBr3 photoanodes achieved with electrocatalytic glassy-carbon and boron-doped diamond sheets," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Austin M. K. Fehr & Ayush Agrawal & Faiz Mandani & Christian L. Conrad & Qi Jiang & So Yeon Park & Olivia Alley & Bor Li & Siraj Sidhik & Isaac Metcalf & Christopher Botello & James L. Young & Jacky E, 2023. "Integrated halide perovskite photoelectrochemical cells with solar-driven water-splitting efficiency of 20.8%," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    3. Dharmesh Hansora & Rashmi Mehrotra & Eunseo Noh & Jin Wook Yoo & Minkyung Kim & Woo Jin Byun & Jaewang Park & Ji-Wook Jang & Sang Il Seok & Jae Sung Lee, 2025. "Scalable and durable module-sized artificial leaf with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency over 10%," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Rashmi Mehrotra & Dongrak Oh & Ji-Wook Jang, 2021. "Unassisted selective solar hydrogen peroxide production by an oxidised buckypaper-integrated perovskite photocathode," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Zhao, Ning & Wang, Jiangjiang, 2024. "Solar full spectrum management in low and medium temperature light-driven chemical hydrogen synthesis - A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    6. Wan Jae Dong & Yixin Xiao & Ke R. Yang & Zhengwei Ye & Peng Zhou & Ishtiaque Ahmed Navid & Victor S. Batista & Zetian Mi, 2023. "Pt nanoclusters on GaN nanowires for solar-asssisted seawater hydrogen evolution," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:10:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1038_s41560-025-01736-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.