Publication date: 3rd July 2020
The solar-driven photocatalytic splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen is a potential source of clean and renewable fuels. Yet it is known, following four decades of global research, to be highly challenging. Perhaps the framework of solar-to-chemical energy conversion may be revolutionized by the examination of alternative oxidative pathways. Here, I will present a demonstration of efficient and robust endothermic full-cycle redox transformations, synthesizing solar chemicals. Utilizing nanoscale particles, we obtained hydrogen production with photon to hydrogen quantum efficiencies of up to ~70%, under visible light and mild conditions, while simultaneously harvesting solar chemical potential for valuable oxidative chemistries, realizing genuine solar-to-fuel energy conversion, with state of the art efficiencies of up to 4.2%.