China achieves breakthrough in solar-powered water splitting for hydrogen production [View all]

A researcher demonstrates samples of titanium dioxide before (L) and after reformation, for directly splitting water with sunlight, at the Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science of the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

China achieves breakthrough in solar-powered water splitting for hydrogen production

Xinhua | 2025-04-08

French sci-fi author Jules Verne predicted about 150 years ago that water would become the fuel of the future. Today, scientists are striving to turn this fantasy into reality.

Chinese researchers recently achieved a breakthrough in "photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production." By performing "structural reshaping" and "element substitution" on a semiconductor material, they significantly enhanced the efficiency of converting water into clean hydrogen energy by using sunlight.

Current solar-driven hydrogen production primarily relies on two methods -- one uses solar panels to generate electricity for water electrolysis, which requires complex and costly equipment, while the other employs semiconductor materials as catalysts to directly split water molecules under sunlight, according to Liu Gang, director of the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and leader of the research team.

The key to directly splitting water with sunlight lies in a material called titanium dioxide. When exposed to sunlight, it functions like a microscopic power plant, generating energized electron-hole pairs that break down water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, Liu explained...more
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