Unravelling the Mechanisms that Drive the Performance of Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

The increasing interest and applications of photocatalysis, namely hydrogen production, artificial photosynthesis, and water remediation and disinfection, still face several drawbacks that prevent this technology from being fully implemented at the industrial level. The need to improve the performan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Catalysts 2020-08, Vol.10 (8), p.901
Main Authors: San Martín, Sergio, Rivero, Maria J., Ortiz, Inmaculada
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon
Catalysts
Charge transfer
Chemical reactions
Energy
Heterojunctions
Hydrogen
Hydrogen production
Light
Performance enhancement
Photocatalysis
Photosynthesis
Process variables
Quantum dots
Semiconductor materials
Semiconductors
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Summary:The increasing interest and applications of photocatalysis, namely hydrogen production, artificial photosynthesis, and water remediation and disinfection, still face several drawbacks that prevent this technology from being fully implemented at the industrial level. The need to improve the performance of photocatalytic processes and extend their potential working under visible light has boosted the synthesis of new and more efficient semiconductor materials. Thus far, semiconductor–semiconductor heterojunction is the most remarkable alternative. Not only are the characteristics of the new materials relevant to the process performance, but also a deep understanding of the charge transfer mechanisms and the relationship with the process variables and nature of the semiconductors. However, there are several different charge transfer mechanisms responsible for the activity of the composites regardless the synthesis materials. In fact, different mechanisms can be carried out for the same junction. Focusing primarily on the photocatalytic generation of hydrogen, the objective of this review is to unravel the charge transfer mechanisms after the in-depth analyses of already reported literature and establish the guidelines for future research.
ISSN:2073-4344
2073-4344
DOI:10.3390/catal10080901