Faradaic Efficiency (FE, ηF) refers to the percentage of actual products generated compared to the theoretical products, representing the efficiency of energy conversion. In the context of photocatalytic reactions, Faradaic Efficiency is used to assess the performance of catalysts[1].
In experiments involving photocatalytic water splitting, Faradaic Efficiency is used to evaluate the efficiency of photo-generated electrons for hydrogen production or photo-generated holes for oxygen production.
In photocatalytic CO2 reduction experiments, Faradaic Efficiency is employed to measure the selectivity of the corresponding products.
The gas products obtained in photocatalytic reactions can be qualitatively and quantitatively detected using gas chromatography to determine how much charge is utilized for gas product generation during the reaction process. Due to various resistive losses and side reactions during the actual reaction, ηF is typically less than 100%.
Faradaic Efficiency can be used to calculate important parameters such as STH and ABPE in photocatalytic reactions.
Perfectlight Technology offers a Faradaic Efficiency Testing Solution:
PEC2000 Photocatalytic Electrochemical Testing System used in conjunction with Labsolar 6A All-Glass Automatic Online Trace Gas Analysis System.
In the PEC2000 Photocatalytic Electrochemical Testing System, the gas-tight dual-chamber photocatalytic reactor or single-chamber photocatalytic reactor undergoes photocatalytic reactions. The gases generated during the reaction are uniformly circulated through the pipeline into the Labsolar 6A All-Glass Automatic Online Trace Gas Analysis System, which performs steps such as gas circulation, automatic sampling, and automatic injection for testing. This allows for the in-situ online measurement of Faradaic Efficiency in photocatalytic reactions.
Figure 1. Combined use of PEC2000 Photocatalytic Electrochemical Testing System and Labsolar 6A All-Glass Automatic Online Trace Gas Analysis System
Labsolar 6A All-Glass Automatic Online Trace Gas Analysis System is used in conjunction with dual-chamber photocatalytic reactor or single-chamber photocatalytic reactor, combined with PLS-FX300HU High Uniformity Integrated Xenon Lamp Light Source.
Figure 2. Demonstration of Labsolar 6A All-Glass Automatic Online Trace Gas Analysis System with (a) dual-chamber photocatalytic reactor[2] and (b) single-chamber photocatalytic reactor[3]
The Faradaic Efficiency calculation formula is as follows[4]:
Where:
Figure 3. Faradaic Efficiency Chart[5,6]
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[2] An Yang, Zhang Kan*, Min Yulin* et. al., Modulating Co-catalyst/Facet Junction for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting[J]. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2022, 14: 42134.
[3] Han Taotao, Zhou Yixuan*, Xu Xinlong* et. al., Sb2S3/Sb2Se3 heterojunction for high-performance photodetection and hydrogen production[J]. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2022, 628: 886.
[4] Jiang Chaoran, Zhang Tao, Tang Junwang* et. al., Photoelectrochemical devices for solar water splitting-materials and challenges. Chemical Society Reviews, 2017, 46: 4645.
[5] Li He, Lin Cheng, Zhang Kan*, et. al., Boosting Reactive Oxygen Species Generation Using Inter-Facet Edge Rich WO3 Arrays for Photoelectrochemical Conversion[J]. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2022, 202210804.
[6] Pan Yuyang, Zhang Huiyan*, Chu Sheng*, et. al., Renewable formate from sunlight, biomass and carbon dioxide in a photoelectrochemical cell [J]. Nature Communications, 2023, 14: 1013.
