Efficient solar-driven water splitting performance of S-doped NiFe-LDH based electrolyzer directly coupled with Si photovoltaic cell

The combination of photovoltaic cell and electrolyzer (PVE) has emerged as an exceedingly promising strategy for hydrogen production in recent years. Efficient water splitting performance and highly compatible electrocatalysts with PVE systems are crucial for advancing this technology towards practical and scalable applications. Herein, S-doped NiFe-LDH nanosheet arrays were successfully grown on nickel foam (S–NiFe-LDH@NF) through a straightforward approach involving corrosion and anion doping method. The as-synthesized S–NiFe-LDH@NF exhibited excellent oxygen evolution reaction(OER) performance with an overpotential of 202 mV at 10 mA cm⁻². At a high current density of 500 mA cm⁻², S–NiFe-LDH@NF only required an overpotential of 286 mV and displayed exceptional stability. For solar driven water splitting, the solar to hydrogen efficiency (STH) of the PVE assembled on S–NiFe-LDH@NF was close to the theoretical STH value under simulated AM 1.5G solar irradiation. Furthermore, the effects of light intensity, electrolyte temperature and concentration, and electrode area on STH efficiency of PVE were investigated. The results indicated that by adjusting these experimental parameters, it is possible to achieve an optimal synergy between the photovoltaic cell and the electrolyzer. This alignment maximizes the overall energy conversion efficiency of the PVE system.