Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production by Direct Sunlight: A Laboratory Experiment

Abstract

The demand for hydrogen will increase within the next decades as a result of the necessity to produce clean and environmentally and economically accepted fuels from natural and renewable energy resources. In principle, hydrogen has the potential to play an important role in future energy systems because of the diversity of its applications, the variety of ways in which it can be stored, its general environmental advantages, and especially because of the possibility of producing hydrogen by splitting water using photocatalysts and solar energy. Methods and techniques of photocatalytic reactions are covered in some detail in many undergraduate chemistry programs. However, many times in instructional settings, little attention is given to how it is used for the production of hydrogen. In the present investigation a photocatalytic hydrogen production experiment suitable for use in undergraduate chemistry laboratories is described. The experiment can be used to introduce students to the concept of a renewable ...