Floating Networks of Alga-like Photoelectrodes for Highly Efficient Photoelectrochemical H-2 Production

Efficient photoelectrocatalytic water splitting is essential for the efficient utilization of abundant solar energy. To propose distributed H-2 production units for large-scale spreading over vast natural waters, we have developed a type of flexible alga-like photoelectrodes, which can float over wavy water surface as a network to capture sunlight for continuous water splitting. The alga-like photoelectrodes fabricated from flexible meshes with micrometal dendrites are then electrophoretically coated with nano g-C3N4 catalysts. The photocurrent of an obtained alga-like photoelectrode can reach up to 380 mu A/cm(2) at the open-circuit voltage and is >380 times that of a flat-type photoelectrode with the same projected area. Moreover, fiber-shaped dyesensitized solar cells were woven into the alga-like photoelectrode to construct light-driving continuous H-2 production units, which allow air and light to permeate through. Our solution has exhibited potential for large-scale floating H-2 production networks over vast natural water surface.