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Nanohybrid-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells for solar-to-hydrogen conversion

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Abstract

This article reviews the semiconductor and metal-based nanohybrid-sensitized photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells for hydrogen generation from water. The nanoscale hybridization of sensitizers in the photoanode can enhance light harvesting, interfacial charge transfer, charge separation, and induce a catalytic effect in dependence on the kind of the components and interfacial junction state. Subsequent to the introduction, second and third sections present the basic structure and design of the nanohybrid-sensitized PEC cell. Fourth section deals with the effect of the interfacial bond between quantum dots and TiO2 on the electron injection process. Fifth section mainly describes the formation of heteroepitaxial junction between the components of nanohybrids. In the sixth section, the state-of-the-art nanohybrid-sensitized PEC cells are treated with a particular emphasis placed on the interface state.

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Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges Prof. Hisayoshi Kobayashi (Kyoto Institute of Technology) for DFT calculations, and Dr. Musashi Fujishima, Dr. Shin-ichi Naya, Takuya Ikeda, Ryo Akashi, and Kaoru Kitazono (Kindai University) for experimental supports and helpful discussion. This work was partially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) No. 15K05654, and MEXT-Supported Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities.

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  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan

    Hiroaki Tada

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Tada, H. Nanohybrid-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells for solar-to-hydrogen conversion. MRS Communications 8, 754–764 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2018.137

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