Single-Crystal Growth and Characterization of the Chalcopyrite Semiconductor CuInTe 2 for Photoelectrochemical Solar Fuel Production

Jessica J. Frick, Andreas Topp, Sebastian Klemenz, Maxim Krivenkov, Andrei Varykhalov, Christian R. Ast, Andrew Bruce Bocarsly, Leslie Mareike Schoop

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Transition-metal chalcogenides are a promising family of materials for applications as photocathodes in photoelectrochemical (PEC) H 2 generation. A long-standing challenge for chalcopyrite semiconductors is characterizing their electronic structure, both experimentally and theoretically, because of their relatively high-energy band gaps and spin-orbit coupling (SOC), respectively. In this work, we present single crystals of CuInTe 2 , whose relatively small optically measured band gap of 0.9 ± 0.03 eV enables electronic structure characterization by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) in conjunction with first-principles calculations incorporating SOC. ARPES measurements reveal bands that are steeply dispersed in energy with a band velocity of 2.5-5.4 × 10 5 m/s, almost 50% of the extremely conductive material graphene. Additionally, CuInTe 2 single crystals are fabricated into electrodes to experimentally determine the valence band edge energy and confirm the thermodynamic suitability of CuInTe 2 for water redox chemistry. The electronic structure characterization and band edge position presented in this work provide kinetic and thermodynamic factors that support CuInTe 2 as a strong candidate for water reduction.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6833-6840
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Volume9
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 6 2018

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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