Antimony Porphyrins as Red-Light Powered Photocatalysts for Solar Fuel Production from Halide Solutions in the Presence of Air

Halide salts from brine or seawater as well as O2 from air are earth-abundant resources which can be exploited for artificial photosynthetic production of renewable fuels. In the presence of a suitable light-harvesting photocatalyst under ambient conditions the simultaneous formation of halogens and hydrogen peroxide as energy carriers is feasible upon exposure to sunlight. The chemically stored solar energy could then be converted back into electricity on demand using fuel cells or redox flow batteries. Such an approach might help to create low-cost devices for the direct photochemical conversion and storage of solar energy.