2020 Virtual undergraduate Research symposium

Solar Water Splitting for Hydrogen Production: Bismuth Vanadate Performance


PROJECT NUMBER: 96

AUTHOR: Christian Schmelzel, Physics | MENTOR: Thomas Furtak, Physics

 

ABSTRACT

This study was governed by two experimental objectives. The first was to reliably produce thin films of the semiconductor Bismuth Vanadate (BiVO4). These films would produce a photocurrent in the presence of sunlight which would aid in the production of hydrogen gas through water electrolysis. The second objective focused on the optical characterization and the photoelectrochemical testing of the thin films. The films produced were characterized using a diffuse reflectance test which identifies the bandgap of a species through a Tauc plot analysis. The Tauc analysis assumed an indirect type gap and calculated a bandgap of 2.44 eV for the thin films. This test confirmed the expected optical characteristics of BiVO4. When exposed to sunlight, the BiVO4 film produced a photocurrent through a water solution that was sufficient enough to oxidize water at the anode and reduce hydrogen ions on the cathode. This study’s conclusions indicate that BiVO4 was successfully produced and created a photocurrent that was high enough to split water in the presence of sunlight. Further studies should be done to adapt the thin film to minimize the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers in order to maximize the photocurrent of BiVO4.

 

VISUAL PRESENTATION

 

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Christian Schmelzel is a Junior studying Engineering Physics on a 5-year track for a M.S. degree in Material Science. He is the the Vice President of the Physics Honors Society, Sigma Pi Sigma, as well as the Vice President of the fraternity Beta Theta Pi. Christian has also worked as a Physics 100 TA for the past five semesters in order to continue his passion of teaching and further expand his communication skills. While his schedule is dense, in his free time, Christian loves to go bowling and swing dancing in order to recharge his batteries.

 


1 Comment

  1. Very interesting work.

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