Noble Metal/Semiconductor Photoactivated Electrodes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have received great attentions as clean energy due to their higher energy efficiency, easy transportation and environmental friendly. The activity and stability of the anode catalysts are the key factors of DMFCs. Recent studies show that usage of semiconductor materials as a supporter of traditional noble metal electrocatalyst greatly improves the electrocatalytic activity and stability of the electrode in DMFCs under light irradiation. In this paper, the research progress of photoactivated noble metal/semiconductor electrocatalyst for DMFCs in recent years is summarized including: (i) the mechanism of improving electrocatalytic performance of the noble metal/semiconductor electrode in DMFCs under light irradiation; (ii) the fabrication methods of noble metal/semiconductor electrode; and (iii) catalytic performance of the noble metal/semiconductor electrode. And the prospects and problems of the photo-responsive electrodes for DMFCs reactions are addressed briefly.