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Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
Published on: October 5, 2019
Exceeding 0.94% Solar-to-Chemical Energy Conversion: Asymmetrically Charge-Distributed Local Double-Charge Layers for
Wen Duan1, Wei Li1, Guocheng Liao1
1College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Additives for Industry, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710021, China.
Abstract:
The large-scale application of solar-powered H2 evolution technology is restricted by its low efficiency. This study discovered a local double-charge layer (LDCL) electronic structure based on the SiO2 nanolayer-hindered donor (CdS)-acceptor (Au) photocatalytic system by means of photoexciton tunneling behavior. Electron paramagnetic resonance and femtosecond transient absorption technologies demonstrated the photoexciton tunneling through the SiO2 nanobarrier, accompanied by hindered photoexciton recombination. Density functional theory calculations proved the asymmetric charge distribution of this LDCL electronic structure, which induced the formation of an e--rich region on the acceptor Au surface and an h+-rich region near SiO2/Au interface for achieving enhanced photoactivity for benzyl alcohol (BA) value-added conversion (20.67 mmol·g-1·h-1, nearly 100% benzaldehyde selectivity) and H2 coevolution (16.88 mmol·g-1·h-1) due to significantly reduced energy barriers, outperforming most reported catalysts owing to exceeding 0.94% of solar-to-chemical energy conversion. An isotope tracing experiment proved the synergistically enhanced H2 evolution by the H protons released from BA dehydrogenation. This study proposes a highly advantageous electronic structure for collaborative photocatalysis.
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