Oxide semiconductor materials for solar light energy utilization

Two approaches for harvesting solar light energy effectively using oxide semiconductor materials are introduced. The one is water splitting using new types of oxide semiconductor photocatalyst systems. By Na₂CO₃ addition method, it was firstly demonstrated that water is decomposed to H₂ and O₂ steadily and stoichiometrically using NiO/TiO₂ photocatalyst under the solar light. A new two-step water splitting system using photocatalysis is also introduced. The other is dyesensitized oxide semiconductor solar cells in order to convert visible light energy to electricity. Combinations of various types of oxide semiconductors and organic dyes, such as Eosin-Y, suggests the appearance of promising and cheap solar cells.