Recent progress in hydrogen: From solar to solar cell

Hydrogen, meeting the requirements of sustainable development, is regarded as the ultimate energy in the 21st century. Due to the inexhaustible and feasible of solar energy, solar water splitting is an immensely promising strategy for environmental-friendly hydrogen production, which not only overcomes the fluctuation and intermittency but also contributes to achieving the mission of global Carbon Neutrality and Carbon Peaking. However, there is still a lack of a comprehensive overview focusing on hydrogen progress with a discussion of development from solar energy to solar cells. Herein, we emphasize several solar-to-hydrogen pathways from the basic concepts and principles and focus on photovoltaic-electrolysis and photoelectrochemical/photovoltaic systems, which have achieved solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of over 10% and have extremely promising for large-scale application. In addition, we summarize the challenges and opportunities faced in this field including configuration design, electrode materials, and performance evaluation. Finally, perspectives on the potential commercial application and scientific research for the further development of solar-to-hydrogen are analyzed and presented. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Automated summary

This paper provides an overview of hydrogen progress from solar energy to solar cells, with a focus on photovoltaic-electrolysis and photoelectrochemical/photovoltaic systems. Both systems have achieved a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of over 10% and show great potential for large-scale application. The challenges and opportunities in this field, including configuration design, electrode materials, and performance evaluation, are summarized. The paper also analyzes and presents perspectives on the potential commercial application and further scientific research for the development of solar-to-hydrogen.