About this Research Topic
The depletion of fossil fuels and related environmental issues make it imperative to develop alternative energy sources. Hydrogen is considered to be a promising alternative energy source as it is easily storable, environmentally friendly, renewable, etc. In order to achieve sustainable development, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution on semiconductors is an ideal method for producing hydrogen from clean solar energy. The prerequisite for developing photocatalysts is to design materials with optimal band structure, efficient charge separation and mobility, while simultaneously retaining structural stability after prolonged application. TiO2 was the first photocatalyst discovered for hydrogen evolution under light illumination. Since then, TiO2-based materials and other inorganic materials have been extensively investigated for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution due to their high photoactivity, low cost and good stability.
Although photocatalytic hydrogen evolution driven in visible light has been developed, the low activity of photocatalysts is still a huge challenge in practical applications. Thus, the search for highly active photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation has been a very important topic of research. Recently, tremendous efforts have been spent on developing inorganic photocatalysts such as transition metal oxides, metal sulfides, metal nitrides, metal phosphides, graphic carbon nitrides (g-C3N4), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and heterojunction photocatalysts of inorganic materials, due to their benefits of enhanced light absorption, efficient charge separation and transfer, and high stability.
The aim of this Research Topic is to highlight and summarize the latest progresses in advanced inorganic materials for visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. As such, we cordially welcome researchers to contribute Original Research articles, Reviews, and Perspectives on themes including, but not limited to:
• Rational design of novel inorganic materials for visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
• Principles and strategies for bandgap modulation of inorganic photocatalysts
• The precise morphology control of inorganic nanomaterials for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
• Recent advances on the modification of inorganic photocatalysts for improved visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution activity
Keywords: inorganic materials, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, visible-light-driven, bandgap, morphology
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