Hybrid photothermal–photocatalyst sheets for solar-driven overall water splitting coupled to water purification

Abstract Photocatalytic water splitting converts sunlight directly into storable hydrogen, but commonly involves the use of pure water and land for plant installation while generating unusable waste heat. Here we report a hybrid device consisting of a photocatalyst (PC) and a solar vapour generator (SVG) for simultaneous overall water splitting and water purification from open water sources. Specifically, an ultraviolet light-absorbing RhCrO x –Al:SrTiO 3 PC is deposited on top of a floating, visible and infrared light-absorbing porous carbon SVG, which produces green fuel with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 0.13 ± 0.03% and 0.95 kg m −2 h −1 of water vapour as the feed for the PC and collectable purified…

• CP
  Cambridge Philosophical Society
• EC
  European Commission

  Awards: 839763, 682833, 793996
• CT
  Cambridge Trust