SrTiO3-based Perovskite Photocatalysts for Efficient Solar-driven Overall Water Splitting and CO2 Reduction

Abstract

Using sunlight to synthesize fuels via artificial photosynthetic processes, such as overall water (H2O) splitting and reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) using water (H2O), offers a potential solution for chemical energy storage. Recent milestones in this field demonstrated that photocatalysts based on strontium titanate (SrTiO3) exhibited quantum efficiency of nearly 100% and a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.76% on a 100 m2 scale for photocatalytic overall water splitting. Another successful application of the SrTiO3-based photocatalysts has been in the construction of Z-scheme systems based on two-step photoexcitation for efficient, selective, and scalable photocatalytic overall water splitting and CO2 reduction. In this chapter, we survey the latest advances in photocatalysis for solar fuel production from H2O and CO2 using SrTiO3-based perovskite materials and discuss the key factors affecting photocatalytic performance. To improve the photocatalytic activity of SrTiO3, various strategies including defect engineering, co-catalyst and surface modification, facet controlling and light absorption expansion, are proving successful. We have demonstrated that it is possible to employ these fundamental principles and the tools of chemical and materials science to design and construct efficient photocatalytic systems for solar fuel generation and that future efforts would promise to have a significant impact on large-scale challenges in global energy.