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Published in:
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2012 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

1. Introduction

Authors : Roel van de Krol, Michael Grätzel

Published in: Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production

Publisher: Springer US

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Abstract

Direct conversion of sunlight into chemical fuels is an attractive prospect for a future energy infrastructure based on sustainable sources. This chapter motivates the choice for photoelectrochemical water splitting as a promising route toward solar fuels. It starts by describing some of the challenges associated with the use of fossil fuels, and gives a brief overview of alternative energy sources. It illustrates the advantages of using chemical fuels as a large-scale storage solution, and describes the role of hydrogen as one of the key components of these fuels. Finally, some benchmarks for photoelectrochemical water splitting are given, and various approaches and materials demands for practical devices are discussed.

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next chapter Principles of Photoelectrochemical Cells
Footnotes
1
CO2 level in May 2011.
 
2
Estimates vary between 30 and 80%.
 
3
The explosion limits of hydrogen are between 18 and 59%, and the flammability limits are between 4 and 74% (in air).
 
4
This depends on the catalytic activity of the semiconductor surface, which can be quite low. By attaching suitable co-catalysts, overpotentials as low as 0.3–0.4 V can be achieved.
 
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Metadata
Title
Introduction
Authors
Roel van de Krol
Michael Grätzel
Copyright Year
2012
Publisher
Springer US
Book
Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production

Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-1379-0

Electronic ISBN: 978-1-4614-1380-6

Copyright Year: 2012

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1380-6_1