The Study of Photoelectrochemical Reaction for Hydrogen Production Using Visible Light Active I-III-VI Ternary System Photocatalyst

The applications of renewable energy are the important research topics in energy field. The development of solar and hydrogen energy has been attract more and more attentions due to energy and environment problems. Using solar energy to produce clean energy such as hydrogen from water is the best example for the energy applications. In recent years, the photocatalysts become the interesting research topic. There are a lot of commercial applications such as self-clean, the decomposition of pollutant or anti-bacteria. A lot of new semiconductor materials that have the ability to decompose the water into hydrogen under visible light irradiation have been reported. The tandem structures of photoelectrochemical reactors with the efficiency up to 12.4% were also reported in literature. There is a great potential for hydrogen production using solar energy and these new photocatalysts. However, the lifetime of the photocatalyst and the cost of these materials remain challenges. Moreover, the rector design, materials developments and preparations, reaction temperature and pressure, and the selections of electrolyte have to be taken into consideration. Therefore, we propose this three-year project in order to design a high efficiency photochemical reactor modulus. Three major subjects in this project are the preparation of photocatalytic thin films, theoretical studies of photochemical reaction conditions and the analysis of efficiency for photoelectrochemical reaction. We will start from the theories of thermodynamics and electrochemistry, trying to understand the influence of operation parameters such as temperature and pressure of reaction, and selection of electrolytes. At the same time, the experimental measurements of structure and properties for photocatalyst thin films were also carried out in this work. Finally, the effects of changes in temperature and pressure on the reaction conditions and conversion efficiency will be realized. This project is consisted of fundamental investigations of materials synthesis, theoretical analysis, and the design of photoelectrochemical modulus. We believe that our approach can be the cornerstone of developing high efficiency photochemical reactor for photoelectrochemical applications.

Project ID:PB9801-2181
External Project ID:NSC97-2221-E182-041-MY3