Novel photosensitive materials for hydrogen generation through photovoltaic electricity

The present paper is concerned with the research and development activities on processing technology of novel silicide-based materials for the production of low cost photovoltaic electricity that can be used for hydrogen generation through water electrolysis. The paper discusses some of the properties of semiconducting iron disilicide (ββ-FeSi2) essential for photovoltaic applications. It is shown that highly oriented ββ-FeSi2 film of 100 nm in thickness can be deposited on silicon (Si) substrates, while a bulk single crystal of about 3–4 mm can be grown from solution containing garium (Ga; p-type), zinc (Zn; p-type) and tin (Sn; n-type).