Next frontier in photocatalytic hydrogen production through CdS heterojunctions

Defect MoS2 and Ti3C2 nanosheets co-assisted CdS to enhance visible-light driven photocatalytic hydrogen production

Carbon-based nanomaterials: Characteristics, dimensions, advances and challenges in enhancing photocatalytic hydrogen production

Doping and interface engineering accelerating spatial charge separation and transfer on 2D/2D Sn-In2S3/CdS Z-scheme heterojunction for efficient light-to‑hydrogen conversion.

A study of the photocatalytic production of molecular hydrogen from platinized photosystem I (PSI) reaction centers is reported. At pH 7 and room temperature metallic platinum was photoprecipitated at the reducing end of PSI according to the reaction, [PtCl6]2- + 4e- + hv-->Pt decreases + 6Cl-, where it interacted with photogenerated PSI electrons and catalyzed the evolution of molecular hydrogen. The reaction mixture included purified spinach PSI reaction centers, sodium ascorbate and spinach plastocyanin. Experimental data on real-time catalytic platinum formation as measured by the onset and rates of hydrogen photoevolution as a function of time are presented. The key objective of the experiments was demonstration of functional nanoscale surface metalization at the reducing end of isolated PSI by substituting negatively charged [PtCl6]2- for negatively charged ferredoxin, the naturally occurring water-soluble electron carrier in photosynthesis. The data are interpreted in terms of electrostatic interactions between [PtCl6]2- and the positively charged surface of psaD, the ferredoxin docking site situated at the stromal interface of the photosynthetic membrane and which is presumably retained in our PSI preparation. A discussion of the rates of hydrogen evolution in terms of the structural components of the various PSI preparations as well as of those of the intact thylakoid membranes is presented.

Photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) production offers a promising solution to energy shortages and environmental challenges by converting solar energy into chemical energy. Hydrogen, as a versatile energy carrier, can be generated through photocatalysis under sunlight or via electrolysis powered by solar or wind energy. However, the advancement of photocatalysis is hindered by the limited availability of effective visible light-responsive semiconductors and the challenges of charge separation and transport. To address these issues, researchers are focusing on the development of novel nanostructured semiconductors and composite materials that can enhance photocatalytic performance. In this paper, we provide an overview of the advanced photocatalytic materials prepared so far that can be activated by sunlight, and their efficiency in H2 production. One of the key strategies in this research area concerns improving the separation and transfer of electron–hole pairs generated by light, which can significantly boost H2 production. Advanced hybrid materials, such as organic–inorganic hybrid composites consisting of a combination of polymers with metal oxide photocatalysts, and the creation of heterojunctions, are seen as effective methods to improve charge separation and interfacial interactions. The development of Schottky heterojunctions, Z-type heterojunctions, p–n heterojunctions from nanostructures, and the incorporation of nonmetallic atoms have proven to reduce photocorrosion and enhance photocatalytic efficiency. Despite these advancements, designing efficient semiconductor-based heterojunctions at the atomic scale remains a significant challenge for the realization of large-scale photocatalytic H2 production. In this review, state-of-the-art advancements in photocatalytic hydrogen production are presented and discussed in detail, with a focus on photocatalytic nanostructures, heterojunctions and hybrid composites.

Overall water splitting over Pt/TiO 2 catalyst with Ce 3+/Ce 4+ shuttle charge transfer system

Biosynthetic modulation of carbon-doped ZnO for rapid photocatalytic endocrine disruptive remediation and hydrogen evolution

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction and hydrogen production over Pt/Zn-embedded β-Ga2O3 nanorods

Trinuclear iron-oxo cocatalyst regulating new electron transfer pathway in Pt loaded bismuth oxychloride for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production

Fabrication of an ultrathin 2D/2D C3N4/MoS2 heterojunction photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic performance

In this work, the optimization of Ni amount on LaFeO3 photocatalyst was studied in the photocatalytic molecular hydrogen production from glucose aqueous solution under UV light irradiation. LaFeO3 was synthesized via solution combustion synthesis and different amount of Ni were dispersed on LaFeO3 surface through deposition method in aqueous solution and using NaBH4 as reducing agent. The prepared samples were characterized with different techniques: Raman spectroscopy, UltraViolet-Visible Diffuse Reflectance Spettroscopy (UV–Vis-DRS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM), and Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. For all the investigated photocatalysts, the presence of Ni on perovskite surface resulted in a better activity compared to pure LaFeO3. In particular, it is possible to identify an optimal amount of Ni for which it is possible to obtain the best hydrogen production. Specifically, the results showed that the optimal Ni amount was equal to nominal 0.12 wt% (0.12Ni/LaFeO3), for which the photocatalytic H2 production was equal to 2574 μmol/L after 4 h of UV irradiation. The influence of different of photocatalyst dosage and initial glucose concentration was also evaluated. The results of the optimization of operating parameters indicated that the highest molecular hydrogen production was achieved on 0.12Ni/LaFeO3 sample with 1.5 g/L of catalyst dosage and 1000 ppm initial glucose concentration. To determine the reactive species that play the most significant role in the photocatalytic hydrogen production, photocatalytic tests in the presence of different radical scavengers were performed. The results showed that •OH radical plays a significant role in the photocatalytic conversion of glucose in H2. Moreover, photocatalytic tests carried out with D2O instead of H2O evidenced the role of water molecules in the photocatalytic production of molecular hydrogen in glucose aqueous solution.

Constructing stable type-II NaLiTi3O7/La2S3 heterojunctions for efficient photocatalytic charge separation and hydrogen production

In this work, we demonstrated the practical use of Au@Cu2O core-shell and Au@Cu2Se yolk-shell nanocrystals as photocatalysts in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting and photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) production. The samples were prepared by conducting a sequential ion-exchange reaction on a Au@Cu2O core-shell nanocrystal template. Au@Cu2O and Au@Cu2Se displayed enhanced charge separation as the Au core and yolk can attract photoexcited electrons from the Cu2O and Cu2Se shells. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Au, on the other hand, can facilitate additional charge carrier generation for Cu2O and Cu2Se. Finite-difference time-domain simulations were carried out to explore the amplification of the localized electromagnetic field induced by the LSPR of Au. The charge transfer dynamics and band alignment of the samples were examined with time-resolved photoluminescence and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. As a result of the improved interfacial charge transfer, Au@Cu2O and Au@Cu2Se exhibited a substantially larger photocurrent of water reduction and higher photocatalytic activity of H2 production than the corresponding pure counterpart samples. Incident photon-to-current efficiency measurements were conducted to evaluate the contribution of the plasmonic effect of Au to the enhanced photoactivity. Relative to Au@Cu2O, Au@Cu2Se was more suited for PEC water splitting and photocatalytic H2 production by virtue of the structural advantages of yolk-shell architectures. The demonstrations from the present work may shed light on the rational design of sophisticated metal-semiconductor yolk-shell nanocrystals, especially those comprising metal selenides, for superior photocatalytic applications.

Photocatalytic hydrogen production is a green, cost-effective, simple, and pollution-free technology for the supply of clean energy, which plays an important role in alleviating the fossil fuel crisis caused by exponentially grown energy consumption. Therefore, designing highly visible-light-active novel photocatalyst materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production is a promising task. The production efficiency of photocatalyst can be improved by using noble metals, which are useful for the effective transfer of charge carriers. This study highlights the synergistic effect of the noble co-catalyst Ag on MoS2 during the investigation of photocatalytic hydrogen production. The hydrothermal method was used for the preparation of an Ag-MoS2 composite, and their structural and morphological characterizations were carried out using different physiochemical characterization techniques. The Ag-MoS2 composite shows an enhanced visible light absorption capacity and photocatalytic hydrogen production rate, as compared to that of pure MoS2, which proves that Ag nanoparticles (NPs) can act as efficient co-catalyst materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production with an improved rate of hydrogen production. Along with this, a possible working mechanism was proposed for visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production using the Ag@MoS2 composite.

Cu2ZnSnS4 decorated CdS nanorods for enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production