Cs2PtI6 Halide Perovskite is Stable to Air, Moisture, and Extreme pH: Application to Photoelectrochemical Solar Water Oxidation

Halide perovskites show incredible photovoltaic power conversion efficiency coupled with several hundreds of hours of device stability. However, their stability is poor in aqueous electrolyte media. Reported here is a vacancy ordered halide perovskite, Cs2 PtI6 , which shows extraordinary stability under ambient conditions (1 year), in aqueous media of extreme acidic (pH 1), basic (pH 13), and under electrochemical reduction conditions. It was employed as an electrocatalyst and photoanode for hydrogen production and water oxidation, respectively. The catalyst remains intact for at least 100 cycles of electrochemical cycling and six hours of hydrogen production at pH 1. Cs2 PtI6 was employed as a photoanode for PEC water oxidation, and the material displayed a photocurrent of 0.8 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V (vs. RHE) under simulated AM1.5G sunlight. Using constant voltage measurement, Cs2 PtI6 exhibited over 12 hours of PEC stability without loss of performance.