Ceramic Materials for Photocatalytic/Photoelectrochemical Fuel Generation

Fossil fuels account for more than 82% of the global energy supply. Fujishima and Honda discovered the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen by illuminating a TiO 2 electrode with ultraviolet (UV) light in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell in 1972. A visible light-active semiconductor photocatalyst in the form of suspended particles in a suitable electrolyte (referred as a photocatalytic system) or an electrode in a PEC cell can be used for both energy conversion and environmental remediation. Nevertheless, insufficient energy conversion efficiency and stability are problems with many photocatalytic systems, and this has limited the advancement of the photocatalyst-based solar fuel generation technologies. Research efforts have been intensified in recent years to solve problems with photocatalysts, especially ceramics, due to the promising nature of photocatalytic/PEC water splitting as a sustainable technology.