@article{9214,
  author = {D. Sarkar and H. Ichou and L. Choubrac and S. Diring and N. Schneider and J. Bonin and N. Barreau and F. Odobel and M. Robert},
  title = {Advanced CIGS-mesoporous TiO2 hybrid photocathode functionalized with cobalt quaterpyridine for solar-driven CO2 reduction},
  abstract = {Hybrid photocathodes that integrate inorganic semiconductors with molecular catalysts offer a promising strategy for photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction into value-added products. In this work, we present the design and characterization of a high-performance photocathode based on copper indium gallium sulfide (CIGSu), functionalized with a cobalt quaterpyridine (CoQPy) molecular catalyst. The device features a thin (5 nm) TiO2 protective layer deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on CIGSu/CdS, followed by a mesoporous TiO2 layer formed under mild conditions using UV curing and low-temperature annealing (150 °C). The mesoporous structure enables high CoQPy loading through chemisorption via phosphonic acid anchoring groups. Under simulated sunlight, the optimized photocathode delivers a photocurrent density of ca. 2 mA cm-2 with 95% CO selectivity in carbonate buffer, double the performance of systems using low-porosity TiO2. This work marks progress towards efficient, molecularly functionalized photocathodes for aqueous CO2 reduction.},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {Journal of Materials Chemistry A},
  volume = {13},
  pages = {in press},
  publisher = {The Royal Society of Chemistry},
  doi = {10.1039/d5ta06206c},
  language = {eng},
}