Hydrogen energy is environmental-friendly and considered
an attractive
alternative to fossil fuels. Among the feasible technologies for hydrogen
generation, photocatalysis-derived hydrogen from water splitting is
considered to be the optimal solution for meeting long-term sustainability
and increased energy demands. In this context, various photocatalytic
genres are proposed, with metal and carbon-supported photocatalysts
demonstrating greater comprehensiveness and potential for addressing
solar-driven hydrogen production from water. Several important aspects
of the aforementioned photocatalytic genres are reviewed in the present
work in an effort to provide pertinent researchers with new horizons
for more advanced performance. The review is initiated by introducing
the primary principles in photocatalysis, as well as the prerequisites
for hydrogen generation from water. The focus then moves to metal-based
photocatalysts, where the important features of these materials as
photocatalysts are summarized. Related limitations are also discussed,
along with the proposed strategies that could potentially mitigate
them. Similar systematic summaries are made of knowledge on carbon-based
photocatalysts. The review concludes with a discussion of potential
future research directions in light of the bottlenecks currently encountered.
With the proper research and development, metal-based and carbon-based
photocatalysts could produce clean hydrogen from water, thereby fueling
global development without causing environmental harm.