Photocatalytic hydrogen production using metal nanoparticle-modified semiconductors
Main Article Content
Abstract
This review paper focuses on photocatalytic hydrogen production using sacrificial agents and semiconductors modified with metal nanoparticles. While the use of sacrificial agents reduces the energy required for hydrogen production and eliminates the recombination of photogenerated holes, the surface modification of semiconductors with metal nanoparticles changes the flow of photoinduced charge carriers, decreasing the recombination of electron-hole pairs and increasing the number of catalytic active sites for reduction. In addition, the impact of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical techniques on the characterization of the photocatalysts, the semiconductor/electrolyte interface, and the modification of the Fermi level when these components are in contact is described. These electrochemical determinations provide information on the band diagram (valence and/or conduction band positions), energy states of the semiconductor, interaction of the photocatalyst with the co-catalysts, separation of the electron-hole species, use of illumination, and resistance to charge transfer. Establishing a relationship between the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors and their electrochemical characterization allows understand the charge transfer processes involved in such a reaction.
Article Details
Mundo Nano. Revista Interdisciplinaria en Nanociencias y Nanotecnología por Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México se distribuye bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional.
Basada en una obra en http://www.mundonano.unam.mx.
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