A photochemical diode artificial photosynthesis system for unassisted high efficiency overall pure water splitting

The conversion of solar energy into chemical fuels can potentially address many of the energy and environment related challenges we face today. In this study, we have demonstrated a photochemical diode artificial photosynthesis system that can enable efficient, unassisted overall pure water splitting without using any sacrificial reagent. By precisely controlling charge carrier flow at the nanoscale, the wafer-level photochemical diode arrays exhibited solar-to-hydrogen efficiency ~3.3% in neutral (pH ~ 7.0) overall water splitting reaction. In part of the visible spectrum (400–485 nm), the energy conversion efficiency and apparent quantum yield reaches ~8.75% and ~20%, respectively, which are the highest values ever reported for one-step visible-light driven photocatalytic overall pure water splitting. The effective manipulation and control of charge carrier flow in nanostructured photocatalysts provides critical insight in achieving high efficiency artificial photosynthesis, including the efficient and selective reduction of CO(2) to hydrocarbon fuels.