Addressing the stability challenge of metal halide perovskite based photocatalysts for solar fuel production

Abstract

Artificial photosynthesis, converting solar energy to renewable fuels and valuable chemicals, shows a high potential for addressing the exhaustion of fossil fuels and the greenhouse effect. The superior optoelectronic properties of metal halide perovskites (MHPs) make this emerging family of materials promising candidates for efficient solar-to-fuel conversion. However, the issue of stability has been the main obstacle for MHPs based photocatalysis. In this work, we emphasize the major bottleneck that hinders the application of MHPs for photocatalytic solar-to-fuel conversion. After outlining the unstable factors for MHPs based photocatalysis, we analyse recent works in related fields and provide a critical review of approaches to improving the stability of MHPs for the photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction and CO2 reduction reaction. We conclude by proposing possible directions for the development of stabilizing MHPs towards efficient and cost-effective solar-to-fuel conversion.