Close Menu
Energy NewsEnergy News
  • NEWS
    • Breaking News
    • Hydrogen
    • Energy Storage
    • Grid
    • SMR
    • Projects
    • Production
    • Transport
    • Research
  • SPOTLIGHT
    • Interviews
    • Face 2 Face
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Reviews
    • Events
  • REGIONAL
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Middle east
    • Pacific
  • COMMUNITY
  • ABOUT
    • Advisory Board
    • Contact us
    • Report Your News
    • Advertize
    • Subscribe
LinkedIn X (Twitter) YouTube Facebook
Trending
  • EU–China Energy Diplomacy Amid German Hydrogen Retrenchment: A Deep Dive
  • Merredin BESS Secures $220M Financing but Pays Premium over Global Battery Cost Benchmarks
  • Brazil Stakes Claim in Global Hydrogen Race with €1.3B Investment in Uberaba and Açu Projects
  • Bremen Project Collapse Reveals Fragile Economics Behind Germany’s Green Hydrogen Hopes
  • The Hydrogen Heating Mirage: Why Germany’s “H₂-Ready” Promise Risks Locking in High Costs and Low Returns
  • How Lyten’s Salvage Mission Could Upend Europe’s Battery Wars
  • Doug Wicks on Why Energy Innovation Is Broken—and How to Fix It
  • Cost and Policy Roadblocks Stall LEAG’s H2UB Boxberg Green Hydrogen Hub
LinkedIn X (Twitter) YouTube Facebook
Energy NewsEnergy News
  • NEWS
    • Breaking News
    • Hydrogen
    • Energy Storage
    • Grid
    • SMR
    • Projects
    • Production
    • Transport
    • Research
  • SPOTLIGHT
    • Interviews
    • Face 2 Face
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Reviews
    • Events
  • REGIONAL
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Middle east
    • Pacific
  • COMMUNITY
  • ABOUT
    • Advisory Board
    • Contact us
    • Report Your News
    • Advertize
    • Subscribe
Energy NewsEnergy News
Home Home - Hydrogen
Green Hydrogen H2 News

Sunlight to hydrogen

Arnes BiogradlijaBy Arnes Biogradlija14/07/20212 Mins Read
Share
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email WhatsApp Telegram

Researchers are combining two promising photocatalysts to achieve greater efficiency in converting sunlight to hydrogen and longer life in a water-splitting cell.

We must abandon fossil fuels if we are to avoid a climate catastrophe. Industry and research have emphasized hydrogen as a clean alternative. Hydrogen is virtually limitless and only produces water vapor when utilized to create energy. To develop a fully eco-friendly hydrogen society, we must first be able to cleanly mass-produce hydrogen.

One method is “artificial photosynthesis,” in which materials, called “photocatalysts,” harness sun energy to divide water into oxygen and hydrogen. However, current photocatalysts are not cost-effective or scalable for solar water splitting. To get there, two major issues must be addressed: the inefficiency of STH conversion and the fragility of photoelectrochemical water splitting cells.

Professor Masashi Kato and his team at the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan worked hard to improve photocatalysis by investigating new materials and their combinations, as well as the underlying physicochemical mechanisms. Dr. Kato and his team have now achieved this by combining titanium oxide (TiO2) and p-type cubic SiC (3C-SiC), two promising photocatalyst materials, into a tandem structure that is a highly robust and effective water-splitting cell.

The tandem structure studied by the team has semi-transparent TiO2 as the photoanode and 3C-SiC as the photocathode. This is because the tandem construction allows more light to excite charge carriers and generate currents, increasing the conversion efficiency of the water gap cell.

The scientists then tested the effects of external voltage and pH on photocurrents generated in the cell before testing water splitting at various light intensities. They counted the oxygen and hydrogen produced. Dr. Kato says the results were encouraging “With the bias, the maximum photon-to-current efficiency was 0.74 percent. Our water splitting system is among the best currently available, with a lifespan of around 100 days.” The results of this investigation also revealed several plausible causes behind the proposed tandem structure’s performance.

Before photoelectrochemical water splitting devices can be extensively employed, more study is required. Still, this study is a step in the right direction. “Our contributions will help to accelerate the development of artificial photosynthesis, which will produce energy directly from sunlight. Our discoveries can thus aid in the creation of sustainable societies “Dr. Kato’s vision

Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Related Posts

Hydrogen

EU–China Energy Diplomacy Amid German Hydrogen Retrenchment: A Deep Dive

02/07/2025
hydrogen

Brazil Stakes Claim in Global Hydrogen Race with €1.3B Investment in Uberaba and Açu Projects

02/07/2025
Hydrogen

Bremen Project Collapse Reveals Fragile Economics Behind Germany’s Green Hydrogen Hopes

02/07/2025
Hydrogen

The Hydrogen Heating Mirage: Why Germany’s “H₂-Ready” Promise Risks Locking in High Costs and Low Returns

02/07/2025
Hydrogen

Cost and Policy Roadblocks Stall LEAG’s H2UB Boxberg Green Hydrogen Hub

01/07/2025
hydrogen

Cost Pressures Topple Queensland’s $12.5 Billion CQ‑H2 Green Hydrogen Project

01/07/2025
Hydrogen

EU–China Energy Diplomacy Amid German Hydrogen Retrenchment: A Deep Dive

02/07/2025
BESS

Merredin BESS Secures $220M Financing but Pays Premium over Global Battery Cost Benchmarks

02/07/2025
hydrogen

Brazil Stakes Claim in Global Hydrogen Race with €1.3B Investment in Uberaba and Açu Projects

02/07/2025
Hydrogen

Bremen Project Collapse Reveals Fragile Economics Behind Germany’s Green Hydrogen Hopes

02/07/2025

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from the hydrogen market subscribe to our newsletter.

LinkedIn X (Twitter) Facebook YouTube

News

  • Inteviews
  • Webinars
  • Hydrogen
  • Spotlight
  • Regional

Company

  • Advertising
  • Media Kits
  • Contact Info
  • GDPR Policy

Subscriptions

  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Sponsored News

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from EnergyNewsBiz about hydrogen.

© 2025 EnergyNews.biz
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Accessibility

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.