E-mail: domen@chemsys.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Photocatalytic water splitting for large scale solar hydrogen production

Water splitting to hydrogen and oxygen using particulate photocatalysts is one of the potential candidates to produce green hydrogen at low cost and on a large scale. To achieve solar hydrogen production based on such systems in a near future, there are several problems that need to be solved, such as development of efficient and durable photocatalysts, cost effective reactors, efficient hydrogen separation systems, ensuring safety issues, and so on. In this talk, recently developed photocatalysts, water splitting reactors and hydrogen separation systems being developed in our project will be introduced. In addition, safety issues of the total solar hydrogen production system based on particulate photocatalysts for water splitting will be discussed.

Kazunari Domen received Ph.D. (1982) honors in chemistry from the University of Tokyo. Dr. Domen joined Chemical Resources Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1982 as Assistant Professor and was subsequently promoted to Associate Professor in 1990 and Professor in 1996. Moving to the University of Tokyo as Professor in 2004, and Cross appointment with Shinshu University as Special Contract Professor in 2017. University Professor of the University of Tokyo in 2019.