La1-xCaxMn1-yAlyO3 perovskites as efficient catalysts for two-step thermochemical water splitting in conjunction with exceptional hydrogen yields

Abstract

Solar-driven thermochemical water splitting represents one efficient route to the generation of H2 as a clean and renewable fuel. Due to their outstanding catalytic abilities and promising solar fuel production capacities, perovskite-type redox catalysts have attracted significant attention in this regard. In the present study, the perovskite series La1-xCaxMn1-yAlyO3 (x, y = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, or 0.8) was fabricated using a modified Pechini method and comprehensively investigated to determine the applicability of these materials to solar H2 production via two-step thermochemical water splitting. The thermochemical redox behaviors of these perovskites were optimized by doping at either the A (Ca) or B (Al) sites over a broad range of substitution values, from 0.2 to 0.8. Through this doping, a highly efficient perovskite (La0.6Ca0.4Mn0.6Al0.4O3) was developed, which yielded a remarkable H2 production rate of 429 μmol/g during two-step thermochemical H2O splitting, going between 1400 and 1000 °C. Moreover, the performance of the optimized perovskite was found to be eight times higher than that of the benchmark catalyst CeO2 under the same experimental conditions. Furthermore, these perovskites also showed impressive catalytic stability during two-step thermochemical cycling tests. These newly developed La1-xCaxMn1-yAlyO3 redox catalysts appear to have great potential for future practical applications in thermochemical solar fuel production.