Interface engineering for the chemical and electronic passivation of group III phosphide semiconductors to be used in highly efficient photoelectrochemical tandem cells for water splitting

该项目的主要目标是研究在第3族磷化物半导体（InP，GaP，GaInP 2）与水和电解质水溶液的界面处发生的物理和光电化学过程，以制定控制规则。因此，有必要研究3 - 5化合物及其固溶体的表面电子结构，以提供表面改性来调节这些半导体的表面电子性质，使其表面电位与进行光电化学反应所需的电位一致，目的是了解决定半导体带边与催化中心的关系的潜在规律以及溶液中氢和氧的氧化还原电位。此外，必须揭示通过适当的缓冲层对半导体表面和半导体/电解质界面进行化学和电子钝化的可行配方。最后，将研究和优化半导体/钝化层/助催化剂/电解质结，这需要系统性的分步方法。

The main goal of the project is the study of physical and photoelectrochemical processes occurred at the interfaces of group 3 phosphide semiconductors (InP, GaP, GaInP2) with water and aqueous electrolyte solutions in order to set the rules for their control. In this context it is necessary to study the surface electronic structure of 3 5 compounds and their solid solutions to provide surface modification for tuning of the surface electronic properties of these semiconductors to align their surface potentials with the potentials needed for running photoelectrochemical reactions.The aim is to understand the underlying laws determining the alignment of the semiconductor band edges in relation to the catalytic centers and to the hydrogen and oxygen redox potentials in the solution. Furthermore, feasible recipes for the chemical and the electronic passivation of the semiconductor surface and the semiconductor/electrolyte interface by appropriate buffer layers have to be revealed. Finally, the semiconductor/passivation layer/cocatalyst/electrolyte junction will be investigated and optimized, which needs a systematic step by step approach.