Current progress in developing metal oxide nanoarrays-based photoanodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Yongcai Qiu; Zhenghui Pan; Haining Chen; Daiqi Ye; Lin Guo; Zhiyong Fan; Shihe Yang

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2019.07.017

Current progress in developing metal oxide nanoarrays-based photoanodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2019 Sep 30;64(18):1348-1380. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2019.07.017. Epub 2019 Jul 16.

Authors

Yongcai Qiu¹, Zhenghui Pan², Haining Chen³, Daiqi Ye⁴, Lin Guo⁵, Zhiyong Fan⁶, Shihe Yang⁷

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
² Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117574, Singapore.
³ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
⁵ School of Chemistry and Environment, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: guolin@buaa.edu.cn.
⁶ Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: eezfan@ust.hk.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China; Guangdong Key Lab of Nano-Micro Material Research, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address: chsyang@ust.hk.

PMID: 36659664
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2019.07.017

Abstract

Solar energy driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a clean and powerful approach for renewable hydrogen production. The design and construction of metal oxide based nanoarray photoanodes is one of the promising strategies to make the continuous breakthroughs in solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency of PEC cells owing to their owned several advantages including enhanced reactive surface at the electrode/electrolyte interface, improved light absorption capability, increased charge separation efficiency and direct electron transport pathways. In this Review, we first introduce the structure, work principle and their relevant efficiency calculations of a PEC cell. We then give a summary of the state-of the-art research in the preparation strategies and growth mechanism for the metal oxide based nanoarrays, and some details about the performances of metal oxide based nanoarray photoanodes for PEC water splitting. Finally, we discuss key aspects which should be addressed in continued work on realizing high-efficiency metal oxide based nanoarray photoanodes for PEC solar water splitting systems.

Keywords: Metal oxide based nanoarray photoanodes; Photoelectrochemical water splitting; Preparation strategies and growth mechanism.

Publication types

Review