Solar Water Splitting by Semiconductor Nanocomposites and Hydrogen Storage with Quinoid Systems

Thorsten Wilke, Daniela Schricker, Josefin Rolf, Karl Kleinermanns

Institute of Physical Chemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany.

DOI: 10.4236/ojpc.2012.24027                

Abstract

Photocatalytic splitting of water was carried out in a two-phase system. The efficiencies of different types of nanocrystalline semiconductors were investigated and compared with commercialised TiO₂ nanopowder. Generated hydrogen was chemically stored by use of a quinoid system, which seems to be useable for fuel cells. Solar light sensitive nanocomposites of CdSe/TiO₂ and CdS_xSe_y/TiO₂ type were prepared and their good photocatalytic performance was demonstrated. In the visible range of 400 - 600 nm CdS_xSe_y/TiO₂ composites show comparable good results as in the UV range, which is very promising for their use as solar light water splitters. The concept of sensitising TiO₂ with different kind of semiconductor nanoparticles, which is already known from quantum dot sensitised solar cells (QDSC), was demonstrated here for water splitting as well. Furthermore the kinetics of the storage reaction was investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and found to proceed via a consecutive reaction with an 1:1 charge transfer complex of quinone and hydroquinone as intermediate. The electron transfer process via a Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox couple was investigated by UV-Vis spectroscopy as well as by a dye reaction on the TiO₂ surface. A light microscopic view of the surface of larger aggregates of TiO₂ nanoparticles indicated different areas of photocatalytic activity with photocatalysis preferentially at catalyst edges. The global electron transfer process could be traced by following the dye colour in real time.

Keywords

Water Splitting; Nanocomposites; Cadmium Selenosulphide; Titanium dioxide; Hydrogen Storage

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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