What is photochemical water splitting?

What is photochemical water splitting?

In photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, hydrogen is produced from water using sunlight and specialized semiconductors called photoelectrochemical materials, which use light energy to directly dissociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.

What is photocatalysis water treatment?

Photocatalysis with mild conditions, a simple process and green technology, can degrade organic pollutants contained in wastewater into water, carbon dioxide or other small molecules, and reduce or oxidize inorganic pollutants to harmless substances [9,10].

Is chlorine essential for water splitting?

Chlorine plays an important role in photosynthesis and takes part in the water splitting reaction, thus releasing $$O_2$$.

How does the photocatalytic water splitting work?

The photocatalytic water splitting can also be achieved using two different photocatalysts to perform a two-step excitation mechanism, i.e., the Z-scheme, reducing the Gibbs energy required by each photocatalyst.

How to evaluate photocatalytic water-splitting performance?

The photocatalytic water-splitting performance can be evaluated by examining the efficiencies of overall water splitting without any sacrificial reagents. In overall water splitting, H 2 and O 2 are produced simultaneously in 2:1 stoichiometric ratio (Eqs. 6–7 ).

What is the EQE value of a water splitting photocatalyst?

The EQE values at 350 nm, 360 nm and 365 nm were determined to be 95.7%, 95.9% and 91.6%, respectively; to our knowledge, these are the highest values reported so far for a water-splitting photocatalyst.

Why are photocatalysts with defects in the photocatalyst less efficient?

Defects within crystalline photocatalysts can act as recombination sites, ultimately lowering efficiency. Under normal conditions, due to the transparency of water to visible light, photolysis can only occur with a radiation wavelength of 180 nm or shorter.