Photoelectrochemistry of Solar Energy Capture and Conversion by Using Particulate Silicon Carbide Semiconductor

Solar technology is one of the alternative for future sustainable energy system. However, to capture and convert solar energy into electrical energy prove to be huge challenge. When the first photoelectrochemical (PEC) phenomena were observed back in 1839, numerous research have been done to determine the best semiconductor material suit for the process. This research focus on the preliminary investigation of photoelectrochemical cells using silicon carbide (SiC) as semiconductor material and observe the effect of electrolyte used. SiC is extracted from a conventional disk type sand paper and undergo series of washing and cleaning using toluene and hexane. Material characterization is done using Field Emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and later tested using X-ray Diffusion (XRD) to monitor its composition. Several modes of experiment conducted to observed cells performance in term of voltage and current produce with or without sunlight illumination. The experiment is conducted under ambient condition with two difference electrolytes tested which are 0.1 M Sodium Sulfite (Na2SO3) solution and 0.1 M Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) solution. General findings from the experiment and material characterization process is presented in this paper.