Solar Fuels and Catalytic Water Splitting

Abstract

The widespread integration of particulate semiconductor photocatalysis into regional energy frameworks represents an indispensable paradigm shift for realizing global net-zero sustainability objectives. Among competing technical pathways, suspended particulate systems have garnered profound academic and industrial interest due to their potential for ultra-low-cost, scalable green fuel production. However, the foundational bottleneck remains the development of robust photocatalysts capable of achieving economically viable solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiencies. Concurrently, contemporary engineering research focuses on large-scale panel deployment strategies while resolving critical safety challenges regarding the fluid-dynamic separation and collection of pure hydrogen from volatile stoichiometric oxyhydrogen mixtures. Recent literature heavily evaluates both single-stage and biomimetic two-step Z-scheme pathways for unassisted overall water splitting, alongside parallel poly generation systems that utilize water as an electron donor to drive photocatalytic carbon dioxide ( ) reduction into value-added solar fuels. Future commercial viability remains fundamentally contingent upon iterative advancements in chemical reactor design, long-term catalyst stability, macro-scale material manufacturing, and system-level explosion mitigation technologies