Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Photoelectrochemical cell and energy system using the same
- Patent Title (中): 光电化学电池和能量系统使用相同
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Application No.: US12811034Application Date: 2009-10-29
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Publication No.: US08236146B2Publication Date: 2012-08-07
- Inventor: Takaiki Nomura , Takahiro Suzuki , Kenichi Tokuhiro , Tomohiro Kuroha , Noboru Taniguchi , Kazuhito Hatoh , Shuzo Tokumitsu
- Applicant: Takaiki Nomura , Takahiro Suzuki , Kenichi Tokuhiro , Tomohiro Kuroha , Noboru Taniguchi , Kazuhito Hatoh , Shuzo Tokumitsu
- Applicant Address: JP Osaka
- Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
- Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
- Current Assignee Address: JP Osaka
- Agency: Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, P.C.
- Priority: JP2008-279415 20081030; JP2009-096315 20090410
- International Application: PCT/JP2009/005763 WO 20091029
- International Announcement: WO2010/050226 WO 20100506
- Main IPC: C25B11/04
- IPC: C25B11/04 ; C25B9/06 ; C25B1/04

Abstract:
A photoelectrochemical cell (100) includes: a semiconductor electrode (120) including a conductor (121) and an n-type semiconductor layer (122); a counter electrode (130) connected electrically to the conductor (121); an electrolyte (140) in contact with the surfaces of the n-type semiconductor layer (122) and the counter electrode (130); and a container (110) accommodating the semiconductor electrode (120), the counter electrode (130) and the electrolyte (140). The photoelectrochemical cell (100) generates hydrogen by irradiation of the n-type semiconductor layer (122) with light. In the semiconductor electrode (120), relative to the vacuum level, (I) the band edge levels of the conduction band and the valence band in the surface near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer (122), respectively, are equal to or higher than the band edge levels of the conduction band and the valence band in the junction plane near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer (122) with the conductor (121), (II) the Fermi level of the junction plane near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer (122) is higher than the Fermi level of the surface near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer (122), and (III) the Fermi level of the conductor (121) is higher than the Fermi level of the junction plane near-field region of the n-type semiconductor layer (122).
Public/Granted literature
- US20100282601A1 PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL CELL AND ENERGY SYSTEM USING THE SAME Public/Granted day:2010-11-11
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