Hydrogen gas producing apparatus using photocatalyst

Abstract

In an apparatus producing hydrogen gas by the decomposition reaction of water using photocatalyst, its miniaturization is achieved while suppressing the decrease of production efficiency of hydrogen gas as low as possible or improving the efficiency. The apparatus 1 comprises a container portion 2 receiving water W; a photocatalyst member 3 immersed in the water, having photocatalyst which generates excited electrons and positive holes when irradiated with light, causes a decomposition reaction of the water and generates hydrogen gas; a light source 4 emitting the light irradiated to the photocatalyst member; and a heat exchange device 7 conducting waste heat of the light source to the water in the container portion; wherein the water to be decomposed on the photocatalyst member in the container portion is warmed by the waste heat of the light source by the heat exchange device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.