Solar Fuel Photocatalysts

The production of solar fuels by solar energy conversion is considered to be one of major strategies for solving the global energy and environmental problems in the future. Photocatalytic H2 production by water splitting and photocatalytic hydrocarbon formation by CO2 reduction have become important and promising methods for clean, economical, and renewal production of solar fuels by using solar light. Usually, the photocatalytic H2-production performance on TiO2 is strongly dependent on the type and amount of co-catalyst because bare TiO2 has poor photocatalytic H2-Production activity. It is well-known that the loading of Pt as a co-catalyst on TiO2 significantly enhances H2-production activity for photocatalytic water splitting in the presence of sacrificial reagents. However, Pt is a rare and expensive noble metal. Therefore, alternative co-catalysts based on non-precious metals and earth-abundant materials have been intersively pursued in recent years.