A tandem two photoelectrode cell separated by a proton exchange membrane for simultaneous conversion of solar energy into both chemical and electrical energy was investigated by illumination of both a large bandgap photoanode, to produce a highly oxidized species, and a narrow bandgap photocathode, to produce a highly reduced species. The two photoelectrode configuration provides higher photovoltages than a single semiconducting material while also absorbing complementary portions of the solar spectrum leading to potentially higher energy conversion efficiencies. Utilization of kinetically fast redox couples overcomes the overpotential barriers required for water splitting as well as the difficulties associated with gas collection and transport. Additionally, the photopotentials obtained show that not only does this configuration not require external bias but excess electrical power could also be produced in addition to the storage of chemical energy. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility for highly efficient solar energy conversion by directly photocharging a redox flow battery.

中文翻译：

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太阳能充电氧化还原液流电池：串联光电化学方法

通过照射大带隙光电阳极，产生高氧化物种和窄带隙光电阴极来产生质子交换膜，从而将太阳能同时转换为化学能和电能的串联两个光电极电池进行了研究。高度减少的物种。两个光电极配置比单个半导体材料提供更高的光电压，同时还吸收太阳光谱的互补部分，从而潜在地提高了能量转换效率。利用动力学上快速的氧化还原对克服了水分解所需的过高势垒以及与气体收集和运输相关的困难。此外，所获得的光势表明，这种配置不仅不需要外部偏压，而且除了存储化学能外还可以产生多余的电能。这些实验证明了通过直接对氧化还原液流电池进行充电来实现高效太阳能转换的可行性。