Sustainable Pathways for Hydrogen Production via Molecular Catalysts

The current global energy requirement is primarily dependent on conventional fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), which invariably emit a copious amount of CO2, leading to adverse climate change effects. Therefore, it is highly commendable to search for carbon footprint-free energy alternatives. Renewable energy resources (solar, wind, tidal, etc.) have emerged as apt alternatives to resolve this conundrum; however, they require a stable energy vector due to their intrinsic intermittence. Hydrogen molecule fits the bill as it can be directly used in a fuel cell for energy production, following a greener pathway. Therefore, hydrogen production has become a bustling research area via sustainable methods. Since water is an abundant resource of protons and covers over 71% of the planet, hydrogen evolution from water becomes useful. Hydrogen can be produced from water through electrical, photochemical, and biological means. Among these methods, water electrolysis is regarded as one of the environmentally friendly techniques to produce hydrogen. Besides this, hydrogen can also be generated via the photochemical splitting of water, where solar energy can be directly involved. Here in this chapter, we have depicted the recent advancements in electrochemical and photochemical hydrogen production using bio-inspired molecular catalysts. Learning objectives: