3-D Nanowire Heterostructures for High-efficiency Solar Energy Harvesting and Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation

摘要

Sunlight and seawater are the ultimate sustainable energy sources on earth. Together they constitute a potential solution to the global energy crisis and at the same time can reduce carbon emission due to the use of fossil fuels. A photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell utilizes solar energy to directly split water and generate hydrogen, which is clean and free of carbon emission. However, it is broadly recognized by the PEC community that there is no single material that can be the perfect photoelectrode candidate for solar water splitting with respect to light absorption, water reduction, chemical stability, etc.