4. Future of photocatalytic H2 evolution

The literature examples of photocatalytic water splitting activities show improvements in visible light utilization, charge separation, and prevention of back-oxidation reactions via fine tuning of photocatalyst materials that enabled more efficient water splitting systems. The efficiency of these systems working under sunlight is better defined with solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency (STH), i.e., hydrogen production rate times the Gibbs free energy for generating 1 mole of H2 divided by the power of incident sunlight (Eq. 13):

$$\text{STH} = \frac{(mmol\ H\_2/s) \ast 237 \ast 10^3 \,\text{J/mol}}{P(\frac{mW}{cm^2}) \ast A(cm^2)} \times 100\tag{13}$$

5. Conclusion

On the Limits of Photocatalytic Water Splitting DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.89235

efficiency value.

Author details

Turkey

191

Bahar Ipek\* and Deniz Uner

\*Address all correspondence to: bipek@metu.edu.tr

provided the original work is properly cited.

The developments in the photocatalytic water splitting reactions are explained

photocatalyst improvements with bandgap engineering, co-catalyst usage, and size reductions are shown to contribute to the increased visible light-driven H2 evolution activity values. The main drawbacks in the present systems are discussed to be the charge recombination, back-oxidation reactions of the products into water, and mass transfer limitations especially in the three-phase systems. Using defect-free small crystals of photocatalysts and making use of phase junctions or metal cocatalysts are suggested to decrease charge recombination rates. Back-oxidation of H2 into water or oxygen reduction reaction to water is expected in many noble metal-containing particulate photocatalyst systems. The prevention of these unwanted secondary reactions is shown to be possible to some extent by modification of the noble metal surfaces. Some examples of these modifications are anion coating, partial adsorption of a poison, or nanolayer coating of the co-catalyst or the whole photocatalyst. Selective permeation property of the nanolayer coatings such as Cr2O3 is reported to suppress the back-oxidation rates, resulting in enhanced H2 and O2 evolution rates. Possible mass transfer limitations, limiting the observed rates in three-phase systems, are predicted especially in the liquid–gas interfaces. The literature examples attracted attention for the liquid–gas interfaces in suspended systems and internal mass transfer limitations for the immobilized photocatalyst systems. It is concluded that, in addition to the required developments in activities with suppression of charge recombination, back-oxidation, and mass transfer limitations, future of the photocatalytic systems would necessitate active and stable photocatalysts with narrower bandgap energies (to be activated at

here with the emphasis on the one-step photocatalysis systems. The early

>600 nm) for achieving targeted 10% solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion

Department of Chemical Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara,

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

The estimated STH required for the particulate photocatalytic systems to be economically compatible with current H2 production technologies is 10% [104]. However, the highest STH values obtained with current developed photocatalysts are in the order of 1–2% (1.8% at 400–475 nm using Rh/Cr2O3-loaded GaN:Mg/ InGaN:Mg photocatalyst [69] and 2% at 420 nm using CDots-C3N4 [70]). The STH conversion efficiency depends both on the catalytic activity and the extent of the utilization of sunlight that depends on the bandgap of the semiconductor. With current photocatalysts having absorption edges around 500 nm, even 100% apparent quantum yields would not guarantee 10% STH values [106]. For a photocatalyst to show 10% STH values, it should have absorption edges at least at 600 nm with apparent quantum yields around 60%. Under the light of these calculations, it can be said that the present photocatalysts having adsorption edge values around 450 nm and quantum yields around 10% are far from being utilized in commercial systems. In order to achieve targeted STH values, the photocatalysts with lower bandgap energies such as (oxy)nitrides and (oxy)sulfides should be improved for H2 evolution activities while ensuring their thermal stability and photostability.

Large-scale photocatalytic water splitting reactors are implemented with current low STH values as of 2015. The first example of large-scale photocatalytic water splitting utilized Pt-loaded C3N4 photocatalyst with sacrificial electron donor triethanolamine in a flat-panel-type photocatalytic reactor system in 2015 [107]. The solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency is reported to be 0.12%, for which the photocatalytic activity is monitored for 30 days. In such systems, where a sacrificial reagent such as triethanolamine or methanol is irreversibly oxidized at a more negative potential than water (thermodynamically more favorable) at the oxidation centers, the photo-generated charges can be more efficiently separated, thus increasing H2 evolution rates. However, in those systems, hydrogen production is not solely due to the water splitting; as the carbon- and hydrogencontaining "sacrificial agents" are being oxidized at the oxidation centers, they produce hydrogen as well as aldehydes, carboxylic acid, and carbon dioxide [108].

Another large-scale photoreactor is reported by Domen et al., who used Aldoped and RhCrOx-loaded SrTiO3 photocatalyst sheets in their 1 � 1 m water splitting panel [45]. The achieved STH value under simulated sunlight is 0.6% at 331 K and limited to a maximum value of 1.4% due to the large bandgap energy of the photocatalyst (3.2 eV). Improved STH values (reaching 1.1%) are shown to be possible on a two-step excitation system in 2016 using photocatalyst sheets having smaller bandgap energy values such as Mo-doped BiVO4 (2.4 eV) and La- and Rhdoped SrTiO3 [5].
