Recent Advancements in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting for Hydrogen Production

Yibo Zhao; Zhenjie Niu; Jiwu Zhao; Lan Xue; Xianzhi Fu; Jinlin Long

doi:10.1007/s41918-022-00153-7

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2023, Vol. 6 ›› Issue (1) DOI: 10.1007/s41918-022-00153-7

Review Article

Recent Advancements in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting for Hydrogen Production

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¹State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis On Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, 350116, Fuzhou, Fujian, China

^f jllong@fzu.edu.cn

Yibo Zhao

was awarded a B.E. degree in 2016 by the Qingdao University of Science and Technology, China. In 2016, he joined the research group of Professor Jinlin Long at the State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment as a master’s candidate. In 2018, he began to study for a degree as a PhD candidate under the supervision of Professor Xianzhi Fu and Professor Jinlin Long. Now he is focusing on photoelectrochemical hydrogen production and directional conversion of methane molecules at room temperature and pressure.

Zhenjie Niu

received a B.E. degree in 2019 from Xuchang University, China. In 2020, she joined the research group of Professor Jinlin Long at the State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment as a master’s candidate. Now she is focusing on theoretical calculations based on first principles, photoelectrocatalytic water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction.

Jiwu Zhao

received a B.E. degree in Chemical Engineering and Technology in 2016 from Fuzhou University, China. Subsequently, he joined the research group of Prof. Fulan Zhong at the National Engineering Research Center of Chemical Fertilizer Catalyst as a master’s candidate to study automobile exhaust sensors. In 2018, as a PhD candidate, he joined the research group of Prof. Jinlin Long at the State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, where his work focuses on theoretical calculations based on first principles, photoelectrochemical water oxidation and biomimetic carbon assimilation.

Xue Lan

was awarded a B.E. degree in 2020 by Henan University, China. In 2020, she joined the research group of Prof. Jinlin Long at the State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment as a master’s candidate. Now she is focusing on theoretical calculations based on first principles, photoelectrocatalytic water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction.

Xianzhi Fu

received a B.S. degree in 1982 and a PhD degree in 1991 from Peking University. After a postdoctoral stay (1991–1993) at Peking University and a later postdoctoral stay at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1993–1997), he was appointed as a full professor at Fuzhou University, China. He was selected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) in 2009. Currently, he is the president of Fuzhou University and the director of the State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment. His research focuses on the development of photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis to solve energy and environmental problems.

Jinlin Long

obtained a PhD degree from Fuzhou University in 2009. After that, he completed one year of post-doctoral training (2012) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and conducted one year of visiting research (2016) in the Department of Chemistry at Emory University, USA. Currently, he is a full Professor in the State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment at Fuzhou University, China. His research interests focus on the development of photocatalysts, artificial photosystems, and photoelectrochemical cells and devices for solar-to-chemical energy conversions.

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Abstract

Abstract

Sunlight is the most abundant and inexhaustible energy source on earth. However, its low energy density, dispersibility and intermittent nature make its direct utilization with industrial relevance challenging, suggesting that converting sunlight into chemical energy and storing it is a valuable measure to achieve global sustainable development. Carbon–neutral, clean and secondary pollution-free solar-driven water splitting to produce hydrogen is one of the most attractive avenues among all the current options and is expected to realize the transformation from dependence on fossil fuels to zero-pollution hydrogen. Artificial photosynthetic systems (APSs) based on photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices appear to be an ideal avenue to efficiently achieve solar-to-hydrogen conversion. In this review, we comprehensively highlight the recent developments in photocathodes, including architectures, semiconductor photoabsorbers and performance optimization strategies. In particular, frontier research cases of organic semiconductors, dye sensitization and surface grafted molecular catalysts applied to APSs based on frontier (molecular) orbital theory and semiconductor energy band theory are discussed. Moreover, research advances in typical photoelectrodes with the metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) architecture based on quantum tunnelling are also introduced. Finally, we discuss the benchmarks and protocols for designing integrated tandem photoelectrodes and PEC systems that conform to the solar spectrum to achieve high-efficiency and cost-effective solar-to-hydrogen conversion at an industrial scale in the near future.

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Yibo Zhao, Zhenjie Niu, Jiwu Zhao, Lan Xue, Xianzhi Fu, Jinlin Long. Recent Advancements in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting for Hydrogen Production. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2023, 6(1): DOI:10.1007/s41918-022-00153-7