Catalytic Frontiers in Solar and Electrochemical Conversion for Clean Energy Fuels

The accelerating global energy demand and the incapability of energy replenishment from finite sources of conventional fossil fuels necessitate a paradigm shift toward renewable and sustainable energy carriers. Among the most promising strategies is the conversion of abundant solar energy, either direct or via renewable electricity, into chemical fuels and value-added products. Key targets include hydrogen, ammonia, hydrocarbon fuels (i.e. methane, methanol), and valuable oxidative products such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), benzaldehyde and others. These energy-rich compounds can be produced via artificial photosynthesis, mimicking natural processes using photocatalytic (PC), photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photovoltaic-assisted electrocatalytic (EC) systems. While significant progress has been made, practical implementation remains challenging due to efficiency, selectivity and stability limitations. Continued breakthroughs in fundamental understanding, materials design and system-level engineering are vital to advancing PC, PEC and EC technologies toward scalable and economically feasible solar fuel production.


Goal:

This Research Topic aims to tackle key limitations in photocatalysis (PC), photoelectrochemical (PEC) and electrocatalysis (EC) for green fuel production. In PC systems, the inability to generate sufficient photovoltage for demanding redox reactions, combined with rapid charge recombination, limited light absorption and photocorrosion significantly hampers performance. PEC systems face similar issues, along with additional challenges such as interfacial charge losses, photoelectrode instability and suboptimal light-harvesting architectures. In EC systems, large overpotentials and poor selectivity for target products reduce overall energy efficiency and product yield. Addressing these challenges requires innovations in catalyst design, semiconductor junction engineering, light absorption management, and tandem system integration. Emerging strategies such as Z-scheme heterostructures, asymmetric engineering, single-atom catalyst and two-dimensional (2D) materials offer promising solutions. This special issue aims to showcase recent advances to unlock the potential of PC, PEC and EC technologies for efficient fuel production.

Scope and information for Authors:

Suggested Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Engineering of advanced materials for photocatalytic, photoelectrochemical and electrocatalytic water splitting, CO2 reduction and the production of other energy carriers and chemicals such as ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O¬2)
• Design and development of heterojunction-typed photocatalytic system (Z-scheme, p-n junction, homojunction and etc.)
• Integration of novel materials such as 2D semiconductors, MXenes, single-atom catalysts into high-performance PC, PEC and EC platforms
• Construction of efficient dual-absorber tandem PEC systems for solar-to-fuel conversion
• Electrocatalytic strategies for lowering overpotentials and improving product selectivity
• Theoretical studies (i.e. DFT) on reaction mechanisms and electronic structure of catalyst