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A review and perspective of efficient hydrogen generation via solar thermal water splitting
Author(s) -
Muhich Christopher L.,
Ehrhart Brian D.,
AlShankiti Ibraheam,
Ward Barbara J.,
Musgrave Charles B.,
Weimer Alan W.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: energy and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.158
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 2041-840X
pISSN - 2041-8396
DOI - 10.1002/wene.174
Subject(s) - renewable energy , solar energy , hydrogen , water splitting , thermal , redox , materials science , oxide , work (physics) , hydrogen production , chemical engineering , chemistry , environmental science , process engineering , inorganic chemistry , catalysis , physics , thermodynamics , photocatalysis , metallurgy , organic chemistry , electrical engineering , engineering
Solar thermal water splitting ( STWS ) produces renewable hydrogen from water using concentrated sunlight. Because it utilizes energy from the entire solar spectrum to directly drive the redox reactions that split water, it can achieve high theoretical solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiencies. In two‐step STWS , a metal oxide is first heated by concentrated sunlight to high temperatures to reduce it and produce O 2 . In the second step, the reduced material is exposed to H 2 O to reoxidize it to its original oxidation state and produce H 2 . Various aspects of this process are reviewed in this work, including the reduction and oxidation chemistries of the active redox materials, the effects of operating conditions, and the solar thermal reactors in which the STWS reactions occur, and a perspective is given on the future optimization of STWS . WIREs Energy Environ 2016, 5:261–287. doi: 10.1002/wene.174 This article is categorized under: Concentrating Solar Power > Science and Materials Energy and Climate > Science and Materials Energy Research & Innovation > Science and Materials