

Arjun Vemuri
Class of 2026Fremont, California
About
Projects
- "Literature Review: In what ways can water-splitting catalysts be optimized to improve the efficiency of solar-powered hydrogen generation?" with mentor Ri (Working project)
Project Portfolio
Literature Review: In what ways can water-splitting catalysts be optimized to improve the efficiency of solar-powered hydrogen generation?
Started Apr. 3, 2025
Abstract or project description
Water splitting involves splitting water into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas through sunlight or electricity. Catalysts can be used to lower the energy barrier and speed up the reaction. This is especially useful for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reactions which are slow. Catalysts for water splitting include: platinum, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum disulfide, iridium. How each catalyst can be optimized: increasing the surface area, doping with other elements to alter properties for conductivity, using conductive substrates to help the electron flow, designing catalysts that can be used to combine HER and OER activity, and making sure the catalyst is stable for long term use. What solar powered hydrogen generation is: The process of producing hydrogen gas through solar energy. Photovoltaic electrolysis is where solar panels can generate electricity to power a water electrolyzer. Photoelectrochemical water splitting is where sunlight directly activates semiconductors to split water. Why does it matter?: Hydrogen can power cells with clean fuel as water being the only biproduct. Additionally, it stores excess solar energy for later. It could potentially replace fossil fuels in many industries. This is essential to combat climate change and reduce CO2 emissions. This project will explore how catalysts can be optimized to improve the efficiency of solar-powered water splitting for hydrogen fuel production.