Project Description
Project Overview: A photo electrochemical electrode uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen which then can be used as an energy source. Typically, silicon is used as the photo electrochemical electrode, but it degrades quickly when exposed in the corrosive electrolyte. To combat this corrosion, silicon can be shielded from the outside environment by a thin coating of titanium oxide. However, an “intermediate” structure in the protective film (between amorphous and crystalline) causes a spike in current of those part of the coating. The goal of this project is to develop a strategy for eliminating this intermediate structure formation in the titanium oxide thin film to significantly extend the lifetime of the electrode. This project will recreate the thin film of titanium oxide disposition (thickness, rate, temperature, and composition) such that the silicon electrode is stabilized and characterize the intermediate structure using scanning electron microscopy.
Client (s): Dr. Xudong Wang, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Advisor (s): Yutao Dong, Lazarus German, Graduate students, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Team: Bailey Khuel, Bkuehl@wisc.edu (Leader)
Scott Lee, Lee696@wisc.edu, (Technical Engineer, Project Management)
Zach Cresswell, Cresswell@wisc.edu (Technical Engineer)
Yaoyue Zhou, Zhou297@wisc.edu (Accountant/Budget)
Alex Miller, Amiller55@wisc.edu (Communicator)
