Micro- and nanostructures of photoelectrodes for solar-driven water splitting.

Abstract

Artificial photosynthesis of clean fuels has aroused great interest to meet the great demand for clean and renewable energy. Great advances have recently been made in various photoelectrodes with their efficiencies and stabilities significantly improved by the design and implementation of novel structures, which are determinative for the optical absorption, charge-transport path, surface area, and electronic conductivity. This Research News article discusses perspectives of the synthetic methods and micro- and nanostructures (planar structures, 1D structures, and mesoporous structures) of photoelectrodes, and their relationships with the photo-electrochemical performance. Structural features, such as particle size, crystallinity, morphology, and film thickness, as well as the trade-offs among them are also evaluated and discussed for each category of structure.