Recent progress in hydrogen: From solar to solar cell

• Published in: Journal of materials science & technology 2024-03, Vol.176, p.236-257
• Main Authors: Li, Yanlin, Ma, Zhu, Hou, Shanyue, Liu, Qianyu, Yan, Guangyuan, Li, Xiaoshan, Yu, Tangjie, Du, Zhuowei, Yang, Junbo, Chen, Yi, You, Wei, Yang, Qiang, Xiang, Yan, Tang, Shufang, Yue, Xuelin, Zhang, Meng, Zhang, Wenfeng, Yu, Jian, Huang, Yuelong, Xie, Jiale, Tang, Chun, Mai, Yaohua, Sun, Kuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalysis; Hydrogen; Integrated module; Photovoltaics; STH efficiency
• ISSN: 1005-0302; 1941-1162
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2023.08.030

•The important designs and exploration of several solar-water-splitting devices with excellent STH are highlighted.•Various solar-to-hydrogen conversion strategies are described.•Photovoltaic hydrogen production research and module progress. Hydrogen, meeting the requirements of sustainable development, is regarded as the ultimate energy in the 21st century. Due to the inexhaustible and feasible of solar energy, solar water splitting is an immensely promising strategy for environmental-friendly hydrogen production, which not only overcomes the fluctuation and intermittency but also contributes to achieving the mission of global “Carbon Neutrality and Carbon Peaking”. However, there is still a lack of a comprehensive overview focusing on hydrogen progress with a discussion of development from solar energy to solar cells. Herein, we emphasize several solar-to-hydrogen pathways from the basic concepts and principles and focus on photovoltaic-electrolysis and photoelectrochemical/photovoltaic systems, which have achieved solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of over 10% and have extremely promising for large-scale application. In addition, we summarize the challenges and opportunities faced in this field including configuration design, electrode materials, and performance evaluation. Finally, perspectives on the potential commercial application and scientific research for the further development of solar-to-hydrogen are analyzed and presented. Hydrogen production holds great promise for meeting the requirements of sustainable development. Given that solar energy is an abundant and renewable source, it is imperative to develop environmentally friendly methods for water splitting. In this context, we provide an overview of recent advances in solar-to-hydrogen conversion, with a particular focus on solar cells, while also exploring key factors influencing the efficiency of solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion. Despite the importance of this topic, comprehensive reviews on solar-to-hydrogen are relatively scarce. We hope that our review will provide valuable insights and inspire the development of sustainable energy systems in the near future. [Display omitted]