Anti-photocorrosive photoanode with RGO/PdS as hole extraction layer

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production is of great interest as an ideal avenue towards clean and renewable energy. However, the instability and low energy conversion efficiency of photoanodes hinder their practical applications. Here we address these issues by introducing a hole extraction layer (HEL) which could rapidly transfer and consume photogenerated holes. The HEL is constructed by reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and other cocatalysts that enable rapid transfer and subsequent consumption of holes, respectively. Specifically, we showcase a high-stability photoanode composed of CdSeTe nanowires (CST NWs) and RGO/PdS nanoparticles (PdS NPs) based HEL. The photoanode achieves excellent photocorrosion resistance, which allows stable hydrogen evolution for > 2 h at 0.5 VRHE.