摘要 |
In a known electrolysis cell for direct generation of hydrogen by photoelectrolysis, the semiconductor structures and the electrolyte are separated from one another and the light is incident through a superstrate. The band matching of the semiconductor structures is thus independent of the electrochemical potentials during splitting of water. The yield of the water splitting depends on the light incidence into the photoanode, however. The conductivity of the dark cathode is in turn dependent on the transparent front contact layer. An insulation layer, which is electrically nonconductive and used only for corrosion protection, is arranged between the rear contact layer of the photocathode and the hydrogen catalyst layer. In the hybrid electrolysis cell (01) according to the invention, the cathode is constructed as a photocathode (04) with one or more thin-film semiconductor structures, and the polarity of said cathode is independent of the polarity of the conductive layer (12), but instead depends on the current light incidence. The conductive layer (12) is formed continuously on the underside (13) of the superstrate (14) and therefore does not require any structuring effort, with simultaneously good current conduction. Furthermore, the insulation layer according to the invention is formed as an electrically conductive hydrogen barrier layer (21) and protects the photocathode (04) from hydrogen embrittlement and thus degradation during operation. |