Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, recognized for its potential in producing solar hydrogen through clean and sustainable methods, has gained considerable interest, particularly with the utilization of semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs). This minireview focuses on recent advances in PEC hydrogen production using I-III-VI semiconductor QDs. The outstanding optical and electrical properties of I-III-VI QDs, which can be readily tuned by modifying their size, composition, and shape, along with an inherent non-toxic nature, make them highly promising for PEC applications. The performance of PEC devices using these QDs can be enhanced by various strategies, including ligand modification, defect engineering, doping, alloying, and core/shell heterostructure engineering. These approaches have notably improved the photocurrent densities for hydrogen production, achieving levels comparable to those of conventional heavy-metal-based counterparts. Finally, this review concludes by addressing the present challenges and future prospects of these QDs, underlining crucial steps for their practical applications in solar hydrogen production. This minireview covers recent advances in photoelectrochemical hydrogen production using I-III-VI QDs, detailing the material design strategies.
Research Interests
CO2 conversion to hydrocarbon fuels; Water splitting for hydrogen generation; Quantum dot devices; Dye sensitized solar cells; Environmental remediation; Synthesis of functional nanomaterials; CO2 연료전환; 수소생산을 위한 광전기화학적 물분해; 양자점 태양전지; 염료감응 태양전지; 공해물질 저감연구; 기능성 나노소재 개발