Ultra‐Fast Mass Transfer System by ∼100% Validated Micro‐Basins for Large‐Scale Photochemical Hydrogen Production

ABSTRACT Achieving large‐scale, efficient, and sustainable hydrogen production via environmentally friendly photocatalysis requires not only effective mass transfer but also excellent operational stability. Conventional particulate photocatalyst systems suffer from inherent limitations in mass transfer, such as disordered charge carrier migration and uncontrolled gas bubble evolution, which collectively hinder hydrogen production efficiency. Here, we present a new mass transfer strategy for large‐scale photochemical hydrogen production, which effectively overcomes intrinsic transport limitations and enables ultra‐fast hydrogen bubble detachment by a coalescence‐induced jumping mechanism. By rationally designing a tunnel‐junction photochemical diode integrated with a micro‐basin array of metallic cocatalysts, we achieved nearly 100% activation of surface catalytic sites, thereby promoting directional charge carrier transport and rapid gas bubble evolution. This design delivers an impressive hydrogen production rate of 177.53 µmol h −1 cm −2 and an apparent quantum yield of 70.7% under 420 nm illumination. An outdoor solar‐driven photocatalytic reactor (25 cm × 25 cm) with a high hydrogen production rate was successfully demonstrated, validating the performance of a full‐scale photocatalyst system. This work demonstrates a large‐scale GaN‐based photochemical hydrogen‐production system and provides a useful structural design strategy for the future development of solar hydrogen‐generation technologies.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-08-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74456
Primary Topic
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Ultra‐Fast Mass Transfer System by ∼100% Validated Micro‐Basins for Large‐Scale Photochemical Hydrogen Production

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Advanced Materials
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
article

Ultra‐Fast Mass Transfer System by ∼100% Validated Micro‐Basins for Large‐Scale Photochemical Hydrogen Production

Ting Zhi, Zhaoxia Bi, Lingbin Xie, Longlu Wang, Junan Pan, Haoxuan Yu, Qiang Zhao, Tao Tao, Rong Zhang, Jin Wang, Weiwei Zhao, Wenhao Chen, Bin Liu, Kun Wang, Junjun Xue, Ancheng Pan
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Achieving large‐scale, efficient, and sustainable hydrogen production via environmentally friendly photocatalysis requires not only effective mass transfer but also excellent operational stability. Conventional particulate photocatalyst systems suffer from inherent limitations in mass transfer, such as disordered charge carrier migration and uncontrolled gas bubble evolution, which collectively hinder hydrogen production efficiency. Here, we present a new mass transfer strategy for large‐scale photochemical hydrogen production, which effectively overcomes intrinsic transport limitations and enables ultra‐fast hydrogen bubble detachment by a coalescence‐induced jumping mechanism. By rationally designing a tunnel‐junction photochemical diode integrated with a micro‐basin array of metallic cocatalysts, we achieved nearly 100% activation of surface catalytic sites, thereby promoting directional charge carrier transport and rapid gas bubble evolution. This design delivers an impressive hydrogen production rate of 177.53 µmol h −1 cm −2 and an apparent quantum yield of 70.7% under 420 nm illumination. An outdoor solar‐driven photocatalytic reactor (25 cm × 25 cm) with a high hydrogen production rate was successfully demonstrated, validating the performance of a full‐scale photocatalyst system. This work demonstrates a large‐scale GaN‐based photochemical hydrogen‐production system and provides a useful structural design strategy for the future development of solar hydrogen‐generation technologies.

Advanced Materials
Xiamen University (CN), Nanjing University of Science and Technology (CN), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 25%
Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
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