Application of hydrogenase for photoinduced hydrogen evolution.

Various attempts have been made to develop suitable redox systems for the photochemical utilization of solar energy. Recent work has shown that the three component systems containing a photosensitizer, an electron donor, and an electron acceptor can be used to evolve hydrogen when a suitable catalyst is present. The reactions are quite general and have been demonstrated for a wide range of photosensitizers and electron carriers. Hydrogenase or colloidal platinum are widely used as catalysts, for they can catalyze the reduction of protons in the presence of a suitable electron donating agent such as reduced methylviologen. Some properties of these components and the efficiency of the photoinduced hydrogen evolution are discussed.