Recent progress in carbon-based materials as catalysts for electrochemical and photocatalytic water splitting

Abstract Electrochemical and photocatalytic water splitting provide great opportunities to meet the increasing demands of energy and, also environmental concerns. Efficiency of the two systems is highly dependent on the electrocatalysts and photocatalysts. Carbon-based materials that own unique advantages including diversity of structure, good electrical conductivity, and a combination of mechanical strength and lightness have been widely investigated in water splitting. In this chapter, we review the recent development in this research field. We start with the introduction of fundamentals of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting (e.g., photoexcitation process, hydrogen evolution reaction, and oxygen evolution reaction), followed by surveying various forms of carbon-based materials and their applications in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting. In particular, we analyze the performance enhancement mechanisms to elicit fundamental insights. Additionally, we briefly outline the challenges and prospects of this research field.