Surface nanostructures in photocatalysts for visible-light-driven water splitting

Overall water splitting to form hydrogen and oxygen over a heterogeneous (particulate) photocatalyst with solar energy is a promising process for clean and recyclable hydrogen production on a large-scale. In recent years, numerous attempts have been made for the development of photocatalysts that work under visible-light to utilize solar energy efficiently. This chapter describes recent research progress on heterogeneous photocatalysis for water splitting with visible light, particularly focusing on the development of nanostructured cocatalysts made by the authors' group.