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Catalysts
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Catalysts for Solar Fuels
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Catalysts for Solar Fuels

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2019) | Viewed by 20874

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hongqi Sun

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Interests: solar energy conversion and utilization; novel catalysis; nanomaterials and nanotechnologies; advanced oxidation processes; fossil fuels upgrading
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Mingbo Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, School of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580 ,China
Interests: catalysis; photocatalysis; solar fuels; energy storage; energy conversion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fossil fuels, e.g., coal, oil and gas, are important carbon carriers in the long-term carbon cycle, and were literately derived from renewable energy, solar energy, by the growth and burial of organic matters on Earth over a geological timescale. Artificial interference with the carbon cycle using cutting-edge technologies appears to be feasible, resulting in a very short cycle, aiming at zero emissions. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis has profoundly extended solar energy utilization to chemical production processes, where solar fuels emerge, via either water splitting for hydrogen production or CO2 reduction for hydrocarbon formation. Key challenges remain, particularly in terms of catalyst materials, i.e., semiconductor photocatalysts. This Special Issue therefore collects original research papers, reviews and commentaries on the rational design, synthesis, characterization, computational studies, and performance evaluation of catalyst materials, including semiconductors and co-catalysts, in either homogeneous or heterogeneous forms, for solar fuel production. Perspectives on the feasibilities of solar fuels are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Hongqi Sun
Prof. Dr. Mingbo Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Solar fuels
  • Photocatalyst
  • Co-catalyst
  • Hydrogen
  • CO2 reduction
  • Water splitting
  • Water oxidation
  • DFT

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5894 KiB  
Article
Influence of MoS2 on Activity and Stability of Carbon Nitride in Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production
by Ramesh P. Sivasankaran, Nils Rockstroh, Carsten R. Kreyenschulte, Stephan Bartling, Henrik Lund, Amitava Acharjya, Henrik Junge, Arne Thomas and Angelika Brückner
Catalysts 2019, 9(8), 695; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal9080695 - 17 Aug 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5313
Abstract
MoS2/C3N4 (MS-CN) composite photocatalysts have been synthesized by three different methods, i.e., in situ-photodeposition, sonochemical, and thermal decomposition. The crystal structure, optical properties, chemical composition, microstructure, and electron transfer properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance [...] Read more.
MoS2/C3N4 (MS-CN) composite photocatalysts have been synthesized by three different methods, i.e., in situ-photodeposition, sonochemical, and thermal decomposition. The crystal structure, optical properties, chemical composition, microstructure, and electron transfer properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroyscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron microscopy, photoluminescence, and in situ electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. During photodeposition, the 2H MoS2 phase was formed upon reduction of [MoS4]2− by photogenerated conduction band electrons and then deposited on the surface of CN. A thin crystalline layer of 2H MoS2 formed an intimate interfacial contact with CN that favors charge separation and enhances the photocatalytic activity. The 2H MS-CN phase showed the highest photocatalytic H2 evolution rate (2342 μmol h−1 g−1, 25 mg catalyst/reaction) under UV-vis light irradiation in the presence of lactic acid as sacrificial reagent and Pt as cocatalyst. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts for Solar Fuels)
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13 pages, 6635 KiB  
Article
Structural, Optical, Band Edge and Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Properties of Tin-Doped WO3
by Shankara S. Kalanur
Catalysts 2019, 9(5), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal9050456 - 17 May 2019
Cited by 104 | Viewed by 10258
Abstract
The substitutional doping of tungsten oxide (WO3) with metal ions demonstrates a promising approach to enhance its photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting efficiency. In this article, the substitutional doping of Sn ions into WO3 lattice and its effect on optical, electrical, [...] Read more.
The substitutional doping of tungsten oxide (WO3) with metal ions demonstrates a promising approach to enhance its photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting efficiency. In this article, the substitutional doping of Sn ions into WO3 lattice and its effect on optical, electrical, band edge, and PEC water splitting properties are explored. Sn-doped WO3 thin films were synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. The characterization data reveal that the doping of Sn alters the morphology, induces multiple crystal phases, effects the crystal orientation, reduces the band gap, and increases the carrier density of WO3. With the uniform distribution of Sn ions in WO3 and the decreased charge transfer resistance at the electrode/electrolyte interface, the doped WO3 show notable enhancement in its PEC activity compared to the undoped WO3. The band edge study revealed that the introduction of Sn in WO3 lattice causes an increase in the energy distance between the valence band edge and Fermi level and, at the same time, induces a downward shift in both the valence and conduction band edges towards higher potentials with respect to reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Conclusively, this work shows significant and new insights about Sn-doped WO3 photoanodes and their influence on PEC water splitting efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts for Solar Fuels)
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14 pages, 3103 KiB  
Article
Photoelectrocatalytic H2 and H2O2 Production Using Visible-Light-Absorbing Photoanodes
by Ioannis Papagiannis, Elias Doukas, Alexandros Kalarakis, George Avgouropoulos and Panagiotis Lianos
Catalysts 2019, 9(3), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal9030243 - 6 Mar 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4573
Abstract
Hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide have been photoelectrocatalytically produced by electrocatalytic reduction using simple carbon electrodes made by depositing a mesoporous carbon film on carbon cloth. Visible-light-absorbing photoanodes have been constructed by depositing mesoporous CdS/TiO2 or WO3 films on transparent fluorine-doped tin [...] Read more.
Hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide have been photoelectrocatalytically produced by electrocatalytic reduction using simple carbon electrodes made by depositing a mesoporous carbon film on carbon cloth. Visible-light-absorbing photoanodes have been constructed by depositing mesoporous CdS/TiO2 or WO3 films on transparent fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrodes. Both produced substantial photocurrents of up to 50 mA in the case of CdS/TiO2 and 25 mA in the case of WO3 photoanodes, and resulting in the production of substantial quantities of H2 gas or aqueous H2O2. Maximum hydrogen production rate was 7.8 µmol/min, and maximum hydrogen peroxide production rate was equivalent, i.e., 7.5 µmol/min. The same reactor was employed for the production of both solar fuels, with the difference being that hydrogen was produced under anaerobic and hydrogen peroxide under aerated conditions. The present data promote the photoelectrochemical production of solar fuels by using simple inexpensive materials for the synthesis of catalysts and the construction of electrodes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalysts for Solar Fuels)
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