Progress in photoelectric catalytic decomposition of water to produce hydrogen

Recently, Li Can, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, and a researcher of the Solar Energy Research Department of Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made new progress in photoelectric catalytic decomposition of water to produce hydrogen

In the early stage, Li Can’s team built a high-efficiency photoelectric catalytic water oxidation system by simulating the important functions of the key components in the natural light system II, and found that partially oxidized graphene can be used as a charge transport medium between the light-harvesting material and the water oxidation catalyst.

Based on the principle of natural photosynthesis, the research team adopted a multi-media control strategy to realize the high-efficiency photoelectric catalytic total water splitting process inspired by the Z mechanism of natural photosynthesis

In addition, the system constructs a biomimetic charge transport chain containing multiple charge transport media between the light-harvesting material and the electron acceptor/donor