Abstract

The production of solar fuels by solar energy conversion is considered to be one of major strategies for solving the global energy and environmental problems in the future. Photocatalytic H₂ production by water splitting and photocatalytic hydrocarbon formation by CO₂ reduction have become important and promising methods for clean, economical, and renewal production of solar fuels by using solar light. Usually, the photocatalytic H₂-production performance on TiO₂ is strongly dependent on the type and amount of co-catalyst because bare TiO₂ has poor photocatalytic H₂-Production activity. It is well-known that the loading of Pt as a co-catalyst on TiO₂ significantly enhances H₂-production activity for photocatalytic water splitting in the presence of sacrificial reagents. However, Pt is a rare and expensive noble metal. Therefore, alternative co-catalysts based on non-precious metals and earth-abundant materials have been intersively pursued in recent years.

© 2015 Optical Society of America