Nanostructured heterogeneous photo-catalysts for hydrogen production and water splitting: A comprehensive insight

Photocatalytic hydrogen production has been extensively investigated in the past decades, and remains to be of great importance in the establishment of sustainable energy supply for the future, although its industrial applications have not been realized so far due to the poor quantum efficiency under solar irradiation. In order to further gear up the quantum efficiency, especially under the visible light range, the electronic properties and geometric structure of the materials, as well as relevant reaction mechanisms, need to be systematically investigated to guide the exploration and design of nanostructured photocatalyst materials. In this review, we summarized the recent developments in the fundamental understanding of photocatalytic H-2 production and water splitting over the model catalyst systems from the perspective of elementary steps in the heterogeneous photocatalysis. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.