Heterojunction engineering powered by CIGS solar cells for boosted photocatalytic methane coupling
Abstract
Methane activation under mild conditions remains one of the most challenging targets in solar-to-chemical conversion. Here, we report a photovoltaic-photocatalyst hybrid strategy that integrates a (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 (ACIGS) solar-cell absorber with a well-documented Au/TiO 2 photocatalyst to enhance photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane. The ACIGS layer serves as an efficient light harvester and charge supplier, promoting charge transfer to the Au/TiO 2 catalytic layer. The resulting interfacial charge pumping suppresses overall charge recombination, increases charge-carrier availability at the catalytic interface, and facilitates both lattice-oxygen activation and oxygen reduction processes involved in methane conversion. As a result, the Au/TiO 2 -ACIGS catalyst achieves markedly enhanced CH 4 -to-C 2 H 6 performance, delivering ~4-fold (0.69 mmol g -1 h -1 ) and ~3-fold (2.51 mmol g -1 h -1 ) enhancement in batch and flow operations, respectively, compared to bare Au/TiO 2 deposited on glass. The catalytic plate also demonstrates excellent operational stability, enabled by an in-situ oxygen-looping mechanism that continuously regenerates active surface oxygen species. This work highlights the potential of photovoltaic absorbers as active charge-generation platforms for photocatalysis, extending their role beyond conventional solar-energy harvesting. More broadly, the results further open avenues for next-generation solar-cell-assisted photocatalytic platforms for methane upgrading or other key solar-to-fuel reactions.
Related
- Constructing an Ohmic-like Type-I Heterojunction via Electrostatic Self-Assembly of Silver Cyanamide and g-C3N4 for Boosted Photocatalytic Performance
- Efficient p–n Heterojunction Construction in Co3O4/Zn0.4Cd0.6S Composite for Boosted Visible-Light Photocatalytic H2 Production
- Heterojunction engineering coupled with enzyme-like activity in a CuS/HOF photocathode for enhanced self-powered integrated chip photofuel cell sensing of neonicotinoids
- A 2D/2D g-C3N4/BiOBr S-Scheme Heterojunction for Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Benzylamine and Degradation of Tetracycline: Enhanced Charge Separation and Mechanistic Insights
- Tuning antibonding-orbital occupancy in pyrene-COFs via electron-donating phenolic −OH for boosted photocatalytic H2 evolution
BibTeX
@article{nguyen2026heterojunction,
title = {{Heterojunction engineering powered by CIGS solar cells for boosted photocatalytic methane coupling}},
author = {Duc Manh Nguyen and Thanh Huyen Vuong and Thomas Tom and Alexandre Fadel and Thomas Roland and Vincent de Waele and Jean-François Guillemoles and Vitaly Ordomsky and Negar Naghavi Fleury and Andrei Khodakov},
journal = {Applied Catalysis B: Environmental},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.127239},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05835218v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Heterojunction engineering powered by CIGS solar cells for boosted photocatalytic methane coupling
AU - Duc Manh Nguyen
AU - Thanh Huyen Vuong
AU - Thomas Tom
AU - Alexandre Fadel
AU - Thomas Roland
AU - Vincent de Waele
AU - Jean-François Guillemoles
AU - Vitaly Ordomsky
AU - Negar Naghavi Fleury
AU - Andrei Khodakov
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
DO - 10.1016/j.apcatb.2026.127239
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05835218v1
AB - Methane activation under mild conditions remains one of the most challenging targets in solar-to-chemical conversion. Here, we report a photovoltaic-photocatalyst hybrid strategy that integrates a (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 (ACIGS) solar-cell absorber with a well-documented Au/TiO 2 photocatalyst to enhance photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane. The ACIGS layer serves as an efficient light harvester and charge supplier, promoting charge transfer to the Au/TiO 2 catalytic layer. The resulting interfacial charge pumping suppresses overall charge recombination, increases charge-carrier availability at the catalytic interface, and facilitates both lattice-oxygen activation and oxygen reduction processes involved in methane conversion. As a result, the Au/TiO 2 -ACIGS catalyst achieves markedly enhanced CH 4 -to-C 2 H 6 performance, delivering ~4-fold (0.69 mmol g -1 h -1 ) and ~3-fold (2.51 mmol g -1 h -1 ) enhancement in batch and flow operations, respectively, compared to bare Au/TiO 2 deposited on glass. The catalytic plate also demonstrates excellent operational stability, enabled by an in-situ oxygen-looping mechanism that continuously regenerates active surface oxygen species. This work highlights the potential of photovoltaic absorbers as active charge-generation platforms for photocatalysis, extending their role beyond conventional solar-energy harvesting. More broadly, the results further open avenues for next-generation solar-cell-assisted photocatalytic platforms for methane upgrading or other key solar-to-fuel reactions.
SN - 0926-3373
SN - 1873-3883
ER -