Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting on a Delafossite CuGaO₂ Semiconductor Electrode

A pellet of polycrystalline $CuGaO_2$ with a delafossite structure was prepared from $Ga_2O_3$ and CuO by high-temperature solid-state synthesis. The $CuGaO_2$ pellet was a p-type semiconductor for which the electrical conductivity, carrier density, carrier mobility and Seebeck coefficient were $5.34{\times}10^{-2}{\Omega}^{-1}cm^{-1}$, $3.5{\times}10^{20}cm^{-3}$, $9.5{\times}10^{-4}cm^2V^{-1}s^{-1}$ at room temperature, and $+360{\mu}V/K$, respectively. It also exhibited two optical transitions at about 2.7 and 3.6 eV. The photoelectrochemical properties of the $CuGaO_2$ pellet electrode were investigated in aqueous electrolyte solutions. The flat-band potential of this electrode, determined using a Mott-Schottky plot, was +0.18 V vs SCE at pH 4.8 and followed the Nernst equation with respect to pH. Under UV light illumination, a cathodic photocurrent developed, and molecular hydrogen simultaneously evolved on the surface of the electrode due to the direct reduction of water without deposition of any metal catalyst.