Abstract
Photocatalytic water splitting and organic reforming based on nano-sized composites are gaining increasing interest due to the possibility of generating hydrogen by employing solar energy with low environmental impact. Although great efforts in developing materials ensuring high specific photoactivity have been recently recorded in the literature survey, the solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiencies are currently still far from meeting the minimum requirements for real solar applications. This review aims at reporting the most significant results recently collected in the field of hydrogen generation through photocatalytic water splitting and organic reforming, with specific focus on metal-based semiconductor nanomaterials (e.g., metal oxides, metal (oxy)nitrides and metal (oxy)sulfides) used as photocatalysts under UVA or visible light irradiation. Recent developments for improving the photoefficiency for hydrogen generation of most used metal-based composites are pointed out. The main synthesis and operating variables affecting photocatalytic water splitting and organic reforming over metal-based nanocomposites are critically evaluated.
Highlights
Hydrogen is an attractive green energy vector due to its energy content and the lack of greenhouse gas emission after its combustion
Photocatalytic hydrogen generation through water photosplitting or organic photoreforming isgaining increasing interest due to the possibility of producing an energy carrier through clean and sustainable processes based on solar energy
No metal-based semiconductors suitable to perform photocatalytic water splitting or organic reforming under visible light with photonic efficiency higher than the threshold value suggested for practical applications
Summary
Hydrogen is an attractive green energy vector due to its energy content and the lack of greenhouse gas emission after its combustion. The main technologies of hydrogen production involve fossil fuels: hydrogen is mainly produced through steam reforming and water gas shift processes [1]. Photocatalytic water splitting consists of water decomposition into hydrogen and oxygen by reaction with photogenerated charge carriers. Selected organic species (i.e., sacrificial agents) to be oxidized by photogenerated positive holes and to Photocatalytic water splitting consists of water decomposition into hydrogen and oxygen by release protons, which in turn generate hydrogen by reacting with photo-electrons. Photocatalytic reforming is based on the ability of selected organic species (i.e., sacrificial agents) to be oxidized by photogenerated positive holes and to release protons, which in turn generate hydrogen by reacting with photo-electrons
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