A review on selected heterogeneous photocatalysts for hydrogen production

Abstract

SUMMARY In this study, visible light‐driven heterogeneous photocatalysts for hydrogen production are comparatively assessed based on technical, environmental, and cost criteria. The photocatalysis systems are compared with respect to their (i) rate of hydrogen generation per gram; (ii) rate of hydrogen generation per m2 of the specific surface area; and (iii) the band gap energy. The photocatalysis systems are also compared and discussed in terms of flammability, reactivity, and their impact on living systems' health. Furthermore, the costs of the required components of the photocatalysis systems are ranked. In addition to individual photocatalyst comparison, seven photocatalyst groups are ranked and compared. The results show that TiO2‐C‐362 and Ag0.03Mn0.40Cd0.60S show the highest in terms of µmol/h‐gcat and µmol/h‐m2cat, respectively, and TiO2‐C‐362 has the highest overall rankings. The Zn/In/S‐based photocatalyst groups show the highest hydrogen production rate in terms of µmol/h‐gcat and µmol/h‐m2cat. Overall, Cd/S/Zn has the highest rankings when cost and health and environmental impact criteria are taken into account. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A review and evaluation of photoelectrode coating materials and methods for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production

“…For efficient, clean, and economically feasible PEC based hydrogen production, a semiconductor photoelectrode should meet at least the following requirements [17,18]: a band gap range of 1.8e2.2 eV for efficient visible light conversion effective e À eh þ pair separation fast transport of separated charges to avoid recombination suitable valance and conduction band edge positions high chemical stability in electrolytic environment and non-corrosive nature) low cost…”

Photocatalytic hydrogen production from aqueous methanol solution using Pt nanocatalysts supported on mesoporous TiO2 hollow shells

“…Solar power is a potential long-term option as it is effectively inexhaustible, despite its intermittency, geographic dependency, and present expense [2]. It has long been desirable to find cost effective and efficient means for converting solar energy into hydrogen by a photochemical process employing water, or water and low-cost organic feedstocks as raw materials [3].…”

Preparation and Photocatalytic Properties of La2CuFeO6 Nanofibers by an Electrospinning Method

“…The generation of hydrogen energy is diversified, in which water, biomass and other renewable materials as raw materials, the use of solar photocatalytic hydrogen production is the simplest and most efficient method [3,4]. Photocatalyst is one of the most important conditions to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production [5,6]. Preparation of different photocatalysts by different preparation methods has become an important research direction [7].…”