Stability and Performance of Sulfide-, Nitride-, and Phosphide-Based Electrodes for Photocatalytic Solar Water Splitting

Abstract

With the past decade of worldwide sustained efforts on artificial photosynthesis for photocatalytic solar water splitting and clean hydrogen generation by dedicated researchers and engineers from different disciplines, substantial progress has been achieved in raising its overall efficiency along with finding new photocatalysts. Various materials, systems, devices, and better fundamental understandings of the interplay between interfacial chemistry, electronic structure, and photogenerated charge dynamics involved have been developed. Nevertheless, the overall photocatalytic performance is yet to achieve its maximum theoretical limit. Moreover, the stability of well-known semiconductors (as well as novel ones) remains the biggest challenge that scientists are facing to develop durable industrial-scale devices for large-scale water oxidation and overall solar water splitting. In this Perspective, we summarize the major achievements and the different approaches carried out to improve the stability and performance of photoelectrodes based on sulfide, nitride, and phosphide semiconductors.

Intrinsic defect engineered Janus MoSSe sheet as a promising photocatalyst for water splitting

“…Photocatalytic water splitting is gaining increased interest, since it is a promising "green chemistry" approach for the direct conversion of water into clean energy H 2 driven by solar light. [1][2][3] However, low-efficiency production of H 2 seriously prevents its further applications. Thus, it is urgent to search for a photocatalyst with high stability and efficiency.…”

Flexible InGaN nanowire membranes for enhanced solar water splitting

“…As confirmed by the EIS measurements, such an increase in performance was ascribed to more efficient excess charge carrier extraction from the NWs due to the Ohmic contact formed by the deposited metals, as compared to the silicon wafer which forms the interfacial SiN x insulating layer. The demonstrated membrane technique represents a novel pathway for enhancing InGaN NWs photoanode performance that could be implemented alongside other techniques, such as cocatalysts [39], sidewall passivation [34], surface protection [40,41]…”

Recent Advances of Epitaxial BiVO4 Thin Film: Preparation and Physical and Photoelectrochemical Properties

“…The photochemical conversion efficiency of a semiconductor photocatalyst is limited by its physical and chemical properties, such as the light absorption ability, the charge kinetics, and the interfacial properties between the photocatalyst and reaction compounds [7][8][9]. The search for suitable materials with high efficiency is one focus of the studies in the past decades [10][11][12][13][14].…”