An organic semiconductor photocatalyst that significantly enhances the generation of hydrogen gas could lead to more efficient energy storage technologies. A photocatalyst is a semiconductor that converts light energy to chemical energy, and organic simply means that the photocatalyst has carbon in it's strucutre. Currently, most HEPs, hydrogen evolution photocatalysts , are made from inorganic semiconductors. These can only absorb light at ultraviolet wavelengths, which limits their ability to produce hydrogen and ultimately electricity.
A team led by Iain McCulloch from the KAUST Solar Center, along with researchers from the US and the UK, have developed HEPs made from two different semiconducting materials designed to absorb more of the visible light spectrum. Their system is currently an order of magnitude beyond what is currently achievable with single-component inorganic HEPs.
