The conversion of solar energy to chemical energy is a promising way of generating renewable energy. Hydrogen production by means of water splitting over semiconductor photocatalysts is a simple, cost-effective approach to large-scale solar hydrogen synthesis. Since the discovery of the Honda–Fujishima effect, considerable progress has been made in this field, and numerous photocatalytic materials and water-splitting systems have been developed. In this Review, we summarize existing water-splitting systems based on particulate photocatalysts, focusing on the main components: light-harvesting semiconductors and co-catalysts. The essential design principles of the materials employed for overall water-splitting systems based on one-step and two-step photoexcitation are also discussed, concentrating on three elementary processes: photoabsorption, charge transfer and surface catalytic reactions. Finally, we outline challenges and potential advances associated with solar water splitting by particulate photocatalysts for future commercial applications.

将太阳能转换为化学能是产生可再生能源的一种有前途的方式。通过在半导体光催化剂上进行水分解来生产氢是大规模太阳能氢合成的一种简单，经济高效的方法。自从发现本田-藤岛效应以来，该领域已经取得了长足的进步，并且已经开发了许多光催化材料和水分解系统。在这篇综述中，我们总结了基于颗粒光催化剂的现有水分解系统，重点关注主要成分：集光半导体和助催化剂。还讨论了基于一步法和两步光激发的整个水分解系统所用材料的基本设计原理，重点是三个基本过程：光吸收，电荷转移和表面催化反应。最后，我们概述了用于未来商业应用的颗粒光催化剂分解太阳能水相关的挑战和潜在的进展。