Recent Progress on Nano-heterostructure Photocatalysts for Solar Fuels Generation

doi:10.15541/jim20150182

Abstract

Abstract:

Photocatalytic solar fuels generation, including H₂ production from water splitting and hydrocarbon compounds generation from CO₂ reduction, is considered as one of the most perspective strategies to solve energy crisis in the future. State-of-the-art photocatalysts yield the highest energy conversion efficiency of 5%, failed to achieve the goal of 10% for the large-scale economic production of solar fuels. Nano-heterostructure photocatalysts have distinct properties which are not observed in bulk heterostructure or in the individual nanoscale components, thus can facilitate the separation of photoinduced charge carries, provide more electrons or stronger redox ability, and consequently improve photocatalytic activity. This review firstly introduces the photocatalytic principles of diverse nano-heterostructures, including type I, type II, p-n, and Z-scheme types. Their applications in solar fuels generation are summarized, and some perspectives on the development are also discussed.

Key words: nano-heterostructure, photocatalyst, solar fuels, review

CLC Number:

TB321

HAN Cheng, LEI Yong-Peng, WANG Ying-De. Recent Progress on Nano-heterostructure Photocatalysts for Solar Fuels Generation[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2015, 30(11): 1121-1130.

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1 Schematic illustration of basic principle for photocatalytic solar fuels generation

Fig. 2 Band alignment and transportation of the charge carries in type I (a) and type II (b) nano-heterostructures[23]

Table 1 Nano-heterostructure photocatalysts for solar fuels generation

Nano-heterostructure photocatalysts	Production of H₂ from water splitting	Generation of C_xH_yO_z from CO₂ reduction
Type I	TiO₂/CuO^[35]; CdSe/CdS^[36]; In₂O₃/In₂S₃^[37]; CdS/ZnS^[25,38]; MoS₂/g-C₃N₄^[39]	Bi₂S₃/CdS^[40]
Type II	g-C₃N₄-N-TiO₂^[22]; g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄^[41]; g-C₃N₄/polypyrrole^[42]; g-C₃N₄/SrTiO₃^[43]; CdS/g-C₃N₄^[4,44]; CdS/TiO₂^[45]	g-C₃N₄-N-TiO₂^[46]; ZnO/g-C₃N₄^[47]; Cu₂O/TiO₂^[48]; TiO₂{001}/TiO₂{101}^[49];
p-n type	Cu₂S/CdS^[50]; MoS₂/CdS^[51]; CuO/ZnO^[52]
Z-scheme	TiO₂/RGO/Metal sulfide^[30]; WO₃/g-C₃N₄^[53]; ZnO/Cd/CdS^[54]; g-C₃N₄/Au/CdS^[55]; Si/TiO₂^[56]; CdS/SiC^[57]	Ag₃PO₄/Ag/g-C₃N₄^[3]; Fe₂V₄O₁₃/RGO/CdS^[58]; SnO_2-_x/g-C₃N₄^[59]; TaON/Ag/RuBLRu′^[60]

Fig. 3 (a) Band alignment of p-type and n-type semiconductors before contact and (b) transportation of the charge carries in p-n type nano-heterostructure[27]

Fig. 4 Transportation of the electrons in (a) photosynthesis system and (b) all-solid-state Z-scheme nano-heterostructure[24]

Fig. 5 Schematic illustration of the mechanism for photocatalytic H2 production in the type II nano-heterostructure of g-C3N4/TiO2 nanofiber[22]

Fig. 6 Schematic illustration of (a) the spatial separation of redox sites in TiO2 {001}/{101} surface heterojunction[49] and (b) conversion of CO2 into CH4 over Fe2V4O13/RGO/CdS Z-scheme nano-heterostructure photocatalyst[58]

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