Themed collection Solar Fuels and Chemicals: Photocatalytic Water Splitting and CO2 Reduction

Ryu Abe, Yun Hau Ng, Osamu Ishitani and Kazunari Domen introduce the Sustainable Energy & Fuels themed collection on Solar fuels and chemicals: photocatalytic water splitting and CO₂ reduction.

This perspective categorizes unbiased photoelectrochemical (PEC) configurations and outlined their strengths and weaknesses, exploring the path to an ideal PEC water-splitting device design, crucial for practical solar-to-hydrogen conversion.

Schematic representation of light-induced processes in artificial photosinthetic systems composed by multinuclear metal complexes.

By creating surface vacancy-dopant-mediated solid frustrated Lewis pairs, efficient photochemical conversion of CO₂ to formic acid is achieved on Bi-doped CeO₂ in the presence of strain, which is investigated by using density functional theory.

Photocathode composed of solid solutions with a composition gradient of ZnTe and CdTe shows significantly enhanced solar hydrogen evolution from water over bilayer and/or monolayer photocathodes.

The tetraruthenium polyoxometalate Ru₄POM shows sequential oxidative proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) events in a [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺/S₂O₈²⁻ photochemical cycle for catalytic water oxidation, reaching quantum efficiency approaching 14%.

Synergistic magic: copper single atom and nanocrystalline carbon nitride for selective CO₂ to methanol conversion.

In this study, heterostructured BiVO₄/WO₃ with linked BiVO₄ nanoparticles and anodic WO₃ nanocorals was fabricated. This heterostructure shows enhanced photoelectrochemical performances, especially, in H₂ production.

Using the water-soluble Ru-tris-phenyl phenanthroline sulfonate photosensitizer versus regular Ru-tris-bipyridine improves the efficiency of H2 production in water.

Pt co-catalyst results in strong H₂ evolution and piece-by-piece peeling of xylose; Ag co-catalyst results in cleavage of C2–C3 bond.

LaTiO₂N, which has attracted attention as a promising candidate for photocatalytic water splitting, was synthesized through a method that utilized a titania nanosheet/La³⁺/La(OH)₃ hybrid system as a precursor.

Photocatalysts containing carbon dots (CD) on microporous graphitic carbons prepared from α-cyclodextrin and preformed CDs are able to reduce CO₂ in H₂O/N(CH₂CH₂OH)₃ forming CH₄ and H₂.

CuLi_1/3Ti_2/3O₂ modified with Cr₂O₃/Ru, which can utilize longer wavelength light in comparison with SrTiO₃:Rh, a representative H₂-evolving component, was successfully applied to Z-scheme water splitting with BiVO₄ and Co(bpy)₃^3+/2+.

This study investigates the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficiency of two photosystems incorporating an all-inorganic molecular thiomolybdate [Mo₃S₁₃]²⁻ cluster as a HER catalyst.

A ruthenium complex bearing a phenolic moiety inspired by the OEC of photosystem II exhibits a high catalytic activity for electrochemical water oxidation, clearly indicating the promoting influence of the phenolic moiety on the catalytic activity.

The Co–MoS_x can efficiently catalyze H₂ evolution reaction under visible light.

Photocatalytic simultaneous production of HClO and H₂ in saline water under simulated solar light was successfully achieved on SrTiO₃:Al photocatalyst systems.

Light intensity-dependence and the H–D isotope effect studies on Pt-loaded C/N polymer photocatalyst, along with photoelectrochemical measurements, revealed that promoting the oxidation reaction by holes was critical for improved H₂ evolution.

Facile approach to synthesizing a Cu₂Sn_xGe_1−xS₃ photocatalyst was developed, based on sulphurization of particulate oxide precursors prepared by a polymerized complex method.

A dual-modification strategy enabling the design of hematite with synergistic bulk and interfacial engineering for improved performance as photoanode.

Building a porous photocathode for solar hydrogen production with earth-abundant materials: silicon nanowires to harvest light, molybdenum sulfide to turn protons into hydrogen.