Enhancement of photo-electrochemical reactions in MAPbI3/Au

Methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (MAPbI3), as a new type of light absorber for optoelectronic devices, has attracted much interest and served as foundation for new device concepts. However, most studies to date are mainly focusing on the fabrication of MAPbI3-based solar cells and photodetectors. Here we report a facile method to prepare a large-scale MAPbI3 photocatalyst through atmospheric pressure physical vapor deposition. The photocurrent density of the MAPbI3 coated with an Au layer can reach 30.8 and 85.5 μA/cm2 in ethanol and H2SO4 electrolytes, respectively. Meanwhile, the strong interaction between H2O orbitals and the conduction band of MAPbI3 is revealed by density functional theory calculations. Our study opens a new pathway for the development of perovskite-based photo-electrochemical reaction systems.