Development of reactors for direct solar water splitting
File(s)
Author(s)
Hankin, Anna
Bedoya Lora, Franky
Type
Chapter
Abstract
This chapter explores the status of photoelectrochemical reactor development and reviews the engineering considerations and challenges associated with the scale-up of water splitting systems, with a focus on reactors that use integrated photoabsorbers. We progress from giving a broad overview of photoelectrochemical device archetypes with different levels of integration between the photoabsorber and electrolysis cell to the principal losses that need to be obviated through judicious reactor design. Principal design considerations are (photo)electrode orientations, resistivities of the (photo)electrode substrate and the electrolyte, bubble management and in situ gaseous product separation, and optical losses at the device level, as well as changes in electrolyte hydrodynamics where the reactor moves to track the Sun. We discuss the need to standardise reporting of experimental information on photoelectrochemical devices, including the measurement of key operating conditions that are seldom reported in the literature, such as temperature and electrode degradation rates, which are known to have a significant impact on the calculated solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies.
Editor(s)
Costa Figueiredo, Marta
White, Robin
Date Issued
2024-10-16
Citation
Chemical Technologies in the Energy Transition, 2024, pp.44-90
ISBN
9781839165825
1839165820
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
Start Page
44
End Page
90
Journal / Book Title
Chemical Technologies in the Energy Transition
Energy and Environment Series
Copyright Statement
© Royal Society of Chemistry 2024.
Identifier
https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/anna.hankin/about
Subjects
Technology & Engineering
Article Number
3
Date Publish Online
2024-10-16