Development of decoupled photoelectrochemical hydrogen production reactor with a single photoanode exceeding 500 cm 2 Xinxin Lu 1 , Weilong Qin 2 , Zebiao Li 1 , Shiyao Cao 1 , Yongbo Kuang 2 1 PetroChina Shenzhen New Energy Research Institute Co.,Ltd., 2 Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences Email: lu.xinxin6391@gmail.com, qinweilong@nimte.ac.cn, kuangyongbo@nimte.ac.cn Over the past few years, significant advances have been made in the developmentof materials for individual components as well as in the design of devices at thelab-scale level.However, large-scale PEC cell design is a crucial driver to develop competitive PEC water splitting technology, requiring innovative engineering solutions. In terms of the scaling-up of PEC device, large-area photoelectrode is necessary and pivotal. Thus, we explored the fabrication of a single BiVO 4 photoanode with an active area exceeding 500 cm 2 , demonstrating a scalable approach to photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production. A decoupled PEC reactor was developed, comprising a BiVO 4 photoanode and a Ni cathode within a single-chamber configuration. When coupled with an external photovoltaic bias of 1V, the device enables direct solar-driven water splitting in an aqueous electrolyte. During testing, the device delivered a relatively stable photocurrent exceeding 300 mA over a continuous 6-hour operation, confirming its potential for sustained hydrogen generation. This work highlights the potential of large- area photoelectrodes in practical PEC systems. Ongoing research focuses on enhancing the photoelectrode performance and optimizing the reactor design for improved efficiency and scalability. References 1. Scalcable Conformal Coating Strategies for Surface Engineering of BiVO 4 Progress in Chemistry. 2025, 37, 425-438. 2. Ultrastable low-bias water splitting photoanodes via photocorrosion inhibition and in situ catalyst regeneration. Nature Energy 2017, 2, 16191. 3. Scalable Nickel-Chelated Polydopamine Conformal Coatings for Enhanced Long-term Photostability of BiVO 4 Energy Environ. Mater. 2025, 8, e70008.
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