FeO-based nanostructures and nanohybrids for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Kment Š, Sivula K, Naldoni A, Sarmah SP, Kmentová H, Kulkarni M, Rambabu Y, Schmuki P, Zbořil R (2020)

Publication Type: Journal article, Review article

Publication year: 2020

Journal

Progress in Materials Science Elsevier

Article Number: 100632

DOI: 10.1016/j.pmatsci.2019.100632

Abstract

The need to satisfy the growing global population's enormous energy demands is a major challenge for modern societies. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting (WS) is seen as a leading strategy for producing an extremely promising renewable store of energy – hydrogen (H2). However, PEC-WS is a complex process involving several sequential physicochemical reaction steps including light absorption, separation of photoexcited charges, and surface redox reactions. At present, FeO-based semiconductors represent a unique class of materials known to exhibit very high performance in all these processes. This review summarizes and critically discusses the major components of PEC-WS systems incorporating FeO-based light-harvesting systems, and outlines the progress that has been made, particularly over the last decade. Emphasis is placed on materials used as photoanodes (including hematite and nonhematite iron oxides, spinel iron ferrites, and pseudobrookite iron titanates) as well as materials used as cocatalysts and passivation layers – notably iron hydroxyoxides and their composites. We discuss strategies for overcoming the main limitations of the aforementioned materials via nanostructuring, elemental doping, surface decoration, and the formation of advanced hybrid nanoarchitectures. Finally, we use this knowledge to present a critical overview of the field and the future prospects of Fe-O semiconductors in PEC-WS applications.

Authors with CRIS profile

Patrik Schmuki Lehrstuhl für Werkstoffwissenschaften (Korrosion und Oberflächentechnik) (LKO)

Involved external institutions

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) CH Switzerland (CH) Palacky University Olomouc / Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci CZ Czech Republic (CZ)

How to cite

APA:

Kment, Š., Sivula, K., Naldoni, A., Sarmah, S.P., Kmentová, H., Kulkarni, M.,... Zbořil, R. (2020). FeO-based nanostructures and nanohybrids for photoelectrochemical water splitting. Progress in Materials Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2019.100632

MLA:

Kment, Š., et al. "FeO-based nanostructures and nanohybrids for photoelectrochemical water splitting." Progress in Materials Science (2020).

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