A device (1) for performing electrolysis of water is disclosed. The device comprising: a semiconductor structure (10) comprising a surface (11) and an electron guiding layer (12) below said surface (11), the electron guiding layer (12) of the semiconductor structure (10) being configured to guide electron movement in a plane parallel to the surface (11), the electron guiding layer (12) of the semiconductor structure (10) comprising an InGaN quantum well (14) or a heterojunction (18), the heterojunction (18) being a junction between AlN material and GaN material or between AlGaN material and GaN material; at least one metal cathode (20) arranged on the surface (11) of the semiconductor structure (10); and at least one photoanode (30) arranged on the surface (11) of the semiconductor structure (10), wherein the at least one photoanode (30) comprises a plurality of quantum dots (32) of In.sub.xGa.sub.(1-x)N material, wherein 0.4x1. Also a system comprising such device is disclosed.

A device (1) for performing electrolysis of water is disclosed. The device comprising: a semiconductor structure (10) comprising a surface (11) and an electron guiding layer (12) below said surface (11), the electron guiding layer (12) of the semiconductor structure (10) being configured to guide electron movement in a plane parallel to the surface (11), the electron guiding layer (12) of the semiconductor structure (10) comprising an InGaN quantum well (14) or a heterojunction (18), the heterojunction (18) being a junction between AlN material and GaN material or between AlGaN material and GaN material; at least one metal cathode (20) arranged on the surface (11) of the semiconductor structure (10); and at least one photoanode (30) arranged on the surface (11) of the semiconductor structure (10), wherein the at least one photoanode (30) comprises a plurality of quantum dots (32) of In.sub.xGa.sub.(1-x)N material, wherein 0.4x1. Also a system comprising such device is disclosed.

Particular embodiments described herein provide for a synthetic fuel creation system. The synthetic fuel creation system includes a syngas creation station to create syngas, a crude creation station to create heavy syncrude, and a crude cracking station to convert the heavy syncrude into synthetic fuel. The synthetic fuel creation system can use an electrocatalysis system to create the syngas and the electrocatalysis system can include an anode, a cathode, oxygen evolution reaction catalysts, hydrogen/carbon monoxide evolution reaction catalysts, and an electrolyte, where the hydrogen/carbon monoxide evolution reaction catalysts include a graphitic carbon nitride.

Particular embodiments described herein provide for a synthetic fuel creation system. The synthetic fuel creation system includes a syngas creation station to create syngas, a crude creation station to create heavy syncrude, and a crude cracking station to convert the heavy syncrude into synthetic fuel. The synthetic fuel creation system can use an electrocatalysis system to create the syngas and the electrocatalysis system can include an anode, a cathode, oxygen evolution reaction catalysts, hydrogen/carbon monoxide evolution reaction catalysts, and an electrolyte, where the hydrogen/carbon monoxide evolution reaction catalysts include a graphitic carbon nitride.

A water splitting system includes a hydrogen production chamber including a hydrogen production port, an oxygen production chamber including an oxygen collection port, an ion exchange membrane coupling the hydrogen production chamber and the oxygen production chamber, and a photocatalytic structure including a first catalytic portion disposed in the hydrogen production chamber and a second catalytic portion disposed in the oxygen production chamber. The first catalytic portion is configured for production of hydrogen via the hydrogen production port. The second catalytic portion is configured for production of oxygen via the oxygen production port.

A water splitting system includes a hydrogen production chamber including a hydrogen production port, an oxygen production chamber including an oxygen collection port, an ion exchange membrane coupling the hydrogen production chamber and the oxygen production chamber, and a photocatalytic structure including a first catalytic portion disposed in the hydrogen production chamber and a second catalytic portion disposed in the oxygen production chamber. The first catalytic portion is configured for production of hydrogen via the hydrogen production port. The second catalytic portion is configured for production of oxygen via the oxygen production port.

A titanium substrate includes TiO.sub.2 nanotubes (TNTs) uniformly distributed thereon, wherein the TiO.sub.2 nanotubes are doped with ZrO.sub.2 and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3. The presence of both ZrO.sub.2 and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 on TNTs arrays achieves synergistic results to provide improved energy conversion efficiency for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation systems.

A titanium substrate includes TiO.sub.2 nanotubes (TNTs) uniformly distributed thereon, wherein the TiO.sub.2 nanotubes are doped with ZrO.sub.2 and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3. The presence of both ZrO.sub.2 and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 on TNTs arrays achieves synergistic results to provide improved energy conversion efficiency for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation systems.

A method for coating a substrate with a CoPi modified BiVO.sub.4/WO.sub.3 heterostructure film includes direct current reactive sputtering tungsten (W) onto a substrate in a gaseous mixture containing oxygen to form a tungsten trioxide (WO.sub.3) film, direct current reactive sputtering bismuth (Bi) onto the tungsten trioxide (WO.sub.3) film in a gaseous mixture containing oxygen to form a dibismuth trioxide (Bi.sub.2O.sub.3) film, drop-casting a vanadyl acetylacetonate solution onto the Bi.sub.2O.sub.3 film and heating at a temperature of at least 450 C. in ambient air to convert the Bi.sub.2O.sub.3 film to a BiVO.sub.4 film, and photoelectrochemically coating the BiVO.sub.4 film with a cobalt-phosphate (CoPi) to form a modified film on the surface of the substrate. A photoanode containing the CoPi modified BiVO.sub.4/WO.sub.3 heterostructure film prepared by the method, and its application in water splitting.

A photoelectrode includes a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate, and a layer of graphitic-poly(2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine) (g-PTAP) nanoflakes at least partially covering a surface of the FTO substrate. Further, the g-PTAP nanoflakes have a width of 0.1 to 5 micrometers (m). In addition, a method for producing the photoelectrode, and a method for photocatalytic water splitting, in which the photoelectrode is used.