Electrocatalysts for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Hematite photoelectrodes grown on porous CuO–Sb2O5–SnO2 ceramics for photoelectrochemical water splitting

“…The depletion of fossil fuels, global warming, and environmental pollution make the shift away from fossil-based energy sources towards environmentally friendly and renewable ones inevitable. In this context, the development of solar energy technologies is a very attractive path to resolve the current problems of humankind and to satisfy future energy needs [1][2][3][4][5][6][7].…”

“…However, to date, the practical application of this technology to produce hydrogen is hindered for a number of reasons mentioned hereafter. To achieve high performance in PEC water splitting, the active photoelectrode material should meet a number of special requirements, such as high stability in an aqueous environment, strong light absorption in the visible region of the spectrum of solar radiation, a suitable band edge position for reduction/oxidation of water, and a solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of 10% or higher [1][2][3][8][9][10][11]. In addition, the photoelectrode cost should be relatively low for large-scale production.…”