Scalable solar water splitting using particulate photocatalysts

The excessive consumption of fossil fuels has brought a series of energy and eco-environmental problems, such as global warming and climate change. Renewable hydrogen energy produced from solar water splitting has the potential to be a promising energy source to replace the fossil fuels for sustainable development. Although photocatalytic water splitting using a particulate photocatalyst is recognized as a simple, easy operation, and low investment solution for solar hydrogen production, it is difficult to imagine how the scalable hydrogen production from photocatalytic water splitting can be realized once the photocatalyst is efficient enough in the future. In this perspective, we exemplified two representative and feasible approaches that were proposed recently, water splitting panel and hydrogen farm, to discuss the possibility of scalable solar water splitting via photocatalysis in the future. The advantages and the existing challenges for the potential scalable applications of both approaches are analyzed. Finally, we would like to give some perspectives on the future of water splitting using particulate photocatalysts.