A review of efficient photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production

• Published in: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews 2024-12, Vol.206, p.114863, Article 114863
• Main Authors: Li, Runzhe, Luan, Jingde, Zhang, Yu, Jiang, Longde, Yan, Haibin, Chi, Qingyu, Yan, Zheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electron transfer; Improvement methods; Photocatalytic H2 production; Preparation strategies; Reaction system; Water splitting
• ISSN: 1364-0321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2024.114863

The photocatalytic hydrogen production from water splitting is considered to be a clean and promising technology of new energy conversion. The low quantum efficiency, the narrow response range of visible light and the low utilization rate of solar energy are still the problems that need to be solved urgently for the industrial application of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution technology. This work provides a comprehensive review of the preparation strategies and hydrogen evolution ability of various photocatalysts in these years and highlights their advantage and disadvantage. Four improvement methods including element doping, vacancy defects, homojunction and heterojunction, self-built internal electric field are reviewed to reveal the effect of molecular structure change on the photocatalytic activity. Moreover, the sacrificial agents or cocatalysts commonly used in photocatalytic H2 production are also reviewed, analyzing the difference of hydrogen performance under different reaction system. This review also looks forward to the future challenges of this technology in the direction of binding force, crystallinity and electron transfer of photocatalyzed hybrid materials, as well as hydrogen production from seawater splitting. This is conducive to the development of the industrial application of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution technology, which has a great reference significance for solving the freshwater crisis, promoting the development of sustainable renewable clean energy, and meeting the social demand for green hydrogen. [Display omitted] •Design, synthesis and activities of different photocatalysts are summarized.•Modification strategies for regulating electronic structure are highlighted.•Electron transfer pathway benefits for revealing the photocatalytic redox mechanism.•Roles of sacrificial agents and cocatalysts in hydrogen evolution are evaluated.•Challenges to photocatalytic H2 production from water splitting are proposed.