Solar fuels production from splitting water with sunlight

Abstract

Today, with the increasing depletion of fossil fuels, and the aggarvating influence of environmental issues, hydrogen fuel has obtained more and more attention from the public due to its attribute as a clean and producible energy source. However, the best approach to produce hydrogen is yet to be discovered, which is why utilisation of hydrogen fuel is as yet so insignificant. The approach of producing hydrogen fuel by splitting water under sunlight has been considered a very promising approach, as it used sunlight , a kind of free and renewable energy source, to produce hydrogen fuel. In this thesis, photocatalysts such as carbon nitride nanotubes (C3N4 NTs). cobalt/carbon nitride nanotubes (Co/C3N4 NTs) and nickel /carbon nitride nanotubes (Ni/C3N4 NTs) with different weight percentages were used to boost the hydrogen production process. The loading with metals has the effect of reducing the recombination rate of electron-hole pairs and enhancing the absorption capacity of the photocatalyst. Of these photocatalysts, 5wt% Co/C3N4 NTs is proven to have the greatest photocatalytic performance when compared with host photocatalyst C3N4 NTs and other Co/C3N4 NTs; and 5wt% of Ni/C3N4 NTs is proven to have the greatest photocatalytic performance when compared with host photocatalyst C3N4 NTs and other Ni/C3N4 NTs. In order to understand the characterisations of the host photocatalys C3N4 NTs, loaded photocatalysts Co/C3N4 NTs and Ni/C3N4 NTs, the morphology morphology of the photocatalysts is analysed by the transmission electron microscope (TEM), and the crystal phase of the photocatalysts is determine4d by X-ray diffraction (XRD).