Mohammed-Ibrahim Jamesh, Haihang Tong, Shella Permatasari Santoso, Wenxin Niu, Ji-Jung Kai, Chang-Wei Hsieh, Kuan-Chen Cheng, Fang-Fang Li, Bin Han, Juan Carlos Colmenares, Hsien-Yi Hsu
For clean hydrogen (H2) production, electrocatalysis and photocatalysis are widely regarded as promising technologies to counter the increasing energy crisis. However, developing applicable catalysts with high H2 production performances still poses a challenge. In this review, state-of-the-art nanoscale electrocatalysts for water electrolysis and photocatalysts for water splitting, tailored for different reaction environments, including acidic electrolytes, alkaline electrolytes, pure water, seawater, and hydrohalic acids, are systematically presented. In particular, modification approaches such as doping, morphology control, heterojunction/homojunction construction, as well as the integration of cocatalysts and single atoms for efficient charge transfer and separation are examined. Furthermore, the unique properties of these upgraded catalysts and the mechanisms of promoted H2 production are also analyzed by elucidating the charge carrier dynamics revealed by photophysical and photoelectrochemical characterization methods. Finally, perspectives and outlooks on future developments for H2 production using advanced electrocatalysts and photocatalysts are proposed. © 2024 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
School of Energy and Environment, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Kalijudan No. 37, East Java, Surabaya, 60114, Indonesia; State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Jilin, Changchun, 130022, China; Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, 145 Xingda Rd., South Dist., Taichung City, Taiwan; Department of Food Science, National Ilan University, Shennong Road, Yilan City, 26047, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Food Science Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan; Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Optometry, Asia University, 500 Lioufeng Rd., Taichung, Wufeng, 41354, Taiwan; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430074, China; Materials Institute of Atomic and Molecular Science, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710021, China; Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw, 01224, Poland; Engineering Research Institute (In3), Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Medellín, 50031, Colombia; Shenzhen Research Institute of City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 518057, China