Eco‐Friendly Quantum Dots for Solar‐Driven <scp>H₂</scp> Production: Structural Engineering to Performance Optimization

ABSTRACT Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising strategy for green hydrogen (H 2 ) production with the potential to address global clean energy and associated environmental challenges. Due to the remarkable ability to capture broad‐range light, high absorption coefficient, and the possibility of multi‐exciton generation, colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are considered key building blocks for developing high‐performing solar‐driven H 2 production technologies. This review provides a concise overview of the recent developments in eco‐friendly QDs‐based PEC H 2 production. It outlines various methods for synthesizing eco‐friendly QDs and provides a detailed discussion on the structural engineering of eco‐friendly QDs and how the different strategies impact the structure–property relationships. Furthermore, the effect of optimizing charge dynamics and band structures on the performance of eco‐friendly QDs‐based PEC systems is discussed in detail. Finally, the challenges and prospects of this field are examined to realize their cost‐effective potential and enter large‐scale deployment for solar‐driven H 2 production. image