Host/Guest Nanostructured Photoanodes Integrated with Targeted Enhancement Strategies for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
Zhiwei Wang, Heng Zhu, Wenguang Tu, Xi Zhu, Yingfang Yao, Yong Zhou, Zhigang Zou
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen production from water splitting is a green technology that can solve the environmental and energy problems through converting solar energy into renewable hydrogen fuel. The construction of host/guest architecture in semiconductor photoanodes has proven to be an effective strategy to improve solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency dramatically. In host/guest photoanodes, the absorber layer is deposited onto a high-surface-area electron collector, resulting in a significant enhancements in light-harvesting as well as charge collection and separation efficiency. The present review aims to summarize and highlight recent state-of-the-art progresses in the architecture designing of host/guest photoanodes with integrated enhancement strategies, including i) light trapping effect; ii) optimization of conductive host scaffolds; iii) hierarchical structure engineering. The challenges and prospects for the future development of host/guest nanostructured photoanodes are also presented.