Artificial photosynthesis for solar water-splitting

Abstract: Solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) conversion through unassisted artificial photosynthesis (APS) devices is one of the promising and environmentally friendly strategies for sustainable development. However, the practical large‐scale application of the unassisted APS devices is impeded by the need for expensive noble metal‐based catalysts in photovoltaics and/or electrolyzers. Herein, well‐aligned 2D NixSy nanowalls (2D NixSy NWs) on a 3D nitrogen‐doped graphene foam (3D NGF) are synthesized and further employed it in unassisted APS. Due to the positive synergistic effect between the highly electrocatalytic activity of NixSy NW and excellent conductivity of NGF, this low cost material of (2D/3D) NixSy NW/NGF is highly efficient as a multifunctional catalyst in various applications: a counterelectrode for dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and a “bifunctional” electrocatalyst for oxygen and hydrogen evolution for electrocatalytic overall water splitting. Furthermore, three NixSy NW/NGF‐based DSSCs as a tandem cell for unassisted solar‐driven overall water splitting is connected, using NixSy NW/NGF itself on nickel foams as the anode and cathode. Impressively, such integrated photovoltaic‐electrolyzer APS device can achieve an STH efficiency of 3.2% with an excellent stability and low cost. This work opens an avenue to advanced multifunctional materials for the low‐cost and unassisted solar‐driven overall water splitting.

TL;DR: In this article, a photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) is constructed configured with protonated graphitic carbon nitride (p-g-C3N4) and carbon nanotube hybrid (CNT/pg-c3N 4) film cathode, and FeOOH-deposited bismuth vanadate (FeOOH/BiVO4) photoanode for the production of industrially useful chiral alkanes using an old yellow enzyme homologue from Thermus scotoductus (TsOYE).

TL;DR: Copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) possesses an indirect bandgap in the range of 1.54-1.95 eV as mentioned in this paper, and is used as an attractive p-type photocathode in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting.

TL;DR: This work reports photocatalytic water splitting on ultrathin CdSe nanoplatelets placed in plasmonic nanogaps formed by a flat gold surface and a gold nanoparticle, and finds that gap-plasmons produce several orders of magnitude higher field enhancement, strongly localized inside the semiconductor sheet thus utilizing the entire photocatalyst efficiently.

TL;DR: In this article, an upper theoretical limit for the efficiency of p−n junction solar energy converters, called the detailed balance limit of efficiency, has been calculated for an ideal case in which the only recombination mechanism of holeelectron pairs is radiative as required by the principle of detailed balance.

TL;DR: This critical review shows the basis of photocatalytic water splitting and experimental points, and surveys heterogeneous photocatalyst materials for water splitting into H2 and O2, and H2 or O2 evolution from an aqueous solution containing a sacrificial reagent.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors look into the historical background, and present status and development prospects for photoelectrochemical cells, based on nanocrystalline materials and conducting polymer films.

TL;DR: The biggest challenge is whether or not the goals need to be met to fully utilize solar energy for the global energy demand can be met in a costeffective way on the terawatt scale.