Abstract

Solar-driven water splitting is one amongst the fastest growing areas of research for hydrogen evolution. The technology employs application of nanostructured energy materials with featured charge-separation and light absorption characteristics. The high charge-carrier recombination and wide band-gap of energy materials are major material-related bottlenecks that restricted the large-scale implementation. Besides it, the co-catalyst, electron mediator and sacrificial electron donor (SED) were the other major components for further improving the H₂ yield. A water splitting reactor with well-optimized photon and mass transfer properties is mandatory for studying hydrogen evolution at large scale. The present review compiles various strategies that were presented for reducing charge-carrier recombination and extending visible light absorption of materials, insights for loading earth-abundant co-catalysts on photocatalyst surface, recently developed reversible redox and non-noble metal-based solid-state electron mediators and advantage of applying organic contaminant and biomass-derived waste as SEDs. The discussions on several engineered reactor designs for the photocatalytic water splitting technology were also presented. A cost-effective way of designing a photocatalytic water splitting system with functionalized nanostructured energy materials, the earth-abundant co-catalysts, organic waste-based electron donors and efficient electron mediators for achieving improved hydrogen evolution rate is comprehensively discussed.

Graphic abstract

中文翻译：

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用于水分解产生氢的可见活性纳米结构能源材料的最新进展

摘要

太阳能驱动的水分解是氢释放研究领域中发展最快的领域之一。该技术利用具有电荷分离和光吸收特性的纳米结构能源材料的应用。能量材料的高电荷载流子复合和宽带隙是与材料有关的主要瓶颈，制约了大规模实施。除此之外，助催化剂，电子介体和牺牲电子供体（SED）是进一步改善H ₂的其他主要成分。让。具有良好优化的光子和传质特性的水分解反应器对于大规模研究氢的释放是必不可少的。本综述汇集了各种减少电荷-载流子复合并扩展材料可见光吸收的策略，在光催化剂表面上负载地球上丰富的助催化剂，最近开发的可逆氧化还原和非贵金属基固态的见解。电子介体，以及将有机污染物和生物质衍生废物用作SED的优势。还讨论了几种用于光催化水分解技术的工程反应器设计。设计具有功能化的纳米结构能源，富地球的助催化剂的光催化水分解系统的经济有效方式，

图形摘要