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Title: Recent progress in enhancing solar-to-hydrogen efficiency

Abstract

One promising and ideal route for renewable production of hydrogen for solar water splitting is achieved by using the most abundant resources of solar light and water. Focusing on the working principal of solar water splitting, including photon absorption and exciton generation in semiconductor, exciton separation and transfer to the surface of semiconductor, and respective electron and hole reactions with absorbed surface species to generate hydrogen and oxygen, this review covers the comprehensive efforts and findings made in recent years on the improvement for the solar-to-hydrogen efficiency (STH) determined by a combination of light absorption process, charge separation and migration, and catalytic reduction and oxidation reactions. Moreover, we attempted critical evaluation on the strategies for improving solar light harvesting efficiency, enhancing charge separation and migration, and improving surface reactions. Towards the end, new and emerging technologies for boosting the STH efficiency are discussed on multiple exciton generation, up-conversion, multi-strategy modifications and the potentials of organometal hybrid perovskite materials.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ORCiD logo
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
1185452
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Power Sources
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 280; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0378-7753
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; 08 HYDROGEN; Water splitting; Solar-to-hydrogen; Doping; Sensitizing; Light absorption; Exciton

Citation Formats

Chen, Jianqing, Yang, Donghui, Song, Dan, Jiang, Jinghua, Ma, Aibin, Hu, Michael Z., and Ni, Chaoying. Recent progress in enhancing solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.01.073.
Chen, Jianqing, Yang, Donghui, Song, Dan, Jiang, Jinghua, Ma, Aibin, Hu, Michael Z., & Ni, Chaoying. Recent progress in enhancing solar-to-hydrogen efficiency. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.01.073
Chen, Jianqing, Yang, Donghui, Song, Dan, Jiang, Jinghua, Ma, Aibin, Hu, Michael Z., and Ni, Chaoying. 2015. "Recent progress in enhancing solar-to-hydrogen efficiency". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.01.073.
@article{osti_1185452,
title = {Recent progress in enhancing solar-to-hydrogen efficiency},
author = {Chen, Jianqing and Yang, Donghui and Song, Dan and Jiang, Jinghua and Ma, Aibin and Hu, Michael Z. and Ni, Chaoying},
abstractNote = {One promising and ideal route for renewable production of hydrogen for solar water splitting is achieved by using the most abundant resources of solar light and water. Focusing on the working principal of solar water splitting, including photon absorption and exciton generation in semiconductor, exciton separation and transfer to the surface of semiconductor, and respective electron and hole reactions with absorbed surface species to generate hydrogen and oxygen, this review covers the comprehensive efforts and findings made in recent years on the improvement for the solar-to-hydrogen efficiency (STH) determined by a combination of light absorption process, charge separation and migration, and catalytic reduction and oxidation reactions. Moreover, we attempted critical evaluation on the strategies for improving solar light harvesting efficiency, enhancing charge separation and migration, and improving surface reactions. Towards the end, new and emerging technologies for boosting the STH efficiency are discussed on multiple exciton generation, up-conversion, multi-strategy modifications and the potentials of organometal hybrid perovskite materials.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.01.073},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1185452}, journal = {Journal of Power Sources},
issn = {0378-7753},
number = C,
volume = 280,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Fri Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}