Enhancement of Solar Water-Splitting Activity for Hydrogen Production

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H03126
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Inorganic industrial materials
• Research Institution: University of Yamanashi
• Principal Investigator: Irie Hiroshi 山梨大学, 大学院総合研究部, 教授 (70334349)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 光触媒 / 水素 / 水分解 / 赤色光 / 太陽光

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have investigated water-splitting photocatalysts under entire range of visible light on the basis of a material design and a mechanistic approach. Then, we discovered all-solid-state hetero-junction photocatalysts, by connecting zinc rhodium oxide (ZnRh2O4) and bismuth vanadium oxide (Bi4V2O11) as hydrogen (H2)- and oxygen (O2)-evolution photocatalysts, respectively, with silver (Ag) or gold (Au). These photocatalysts achieved the overall pure-water splitting under red light, following a conventional well-known Z-scheme mechanism, but the present photocatalysts did not require any chemicals as a redox mediator. In addition, we tried to selectively deposit a H2-evolution cocatalyt onto ZnRh2O4 and a O2-evolution cocatalyt onto Bi4V2O11 towards the enhancement of water splitting activity.

Free Research Field

光機能材料、環境・エネルギー材料の創出

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究を通じて、太陽光というクリーンな自然エネルギーを用いて、試薬など必要のない水を完全分解し、クリーンエネルギーである水素を、実用化を視野に入れた高い効率で獲得きるようになった。また、この成果は二酸化炭素の固定化によるエネルギー獲得にも展開できることが示唆され、これらは環境・エネルギー問題の解決の一助となることができるであろう。