Making Fuels with Sunlight and Hybrid Photoelectrodes

Hybrid photoelectrodes—accessed through integration of molecular fuel-producing catalysts with visible light-absorbing semiconductor materials—promise high selectivity, durability, and activity for the sunlight-driven generation of liquid fuels. Anchoring strategies to immobilize catalysts on photon-capturing materials can enable efficient coupling of light harvesting and fuel production. Immobilization also creates a unique microenvironment for the molecular catalyst that can influence selectivity, efficiency, and durability. Electrochemical, spectroscopy, and microscopy data together provide insight to how catalyst microenvironment affects the catalyst.