Zhurui Shen

A black–red phosphorus heterostructure for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalysis

A new single elemental heterostructure of black and red phosphorus was prepared by a simple ball milling method. The product exhibited high visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity comparable to that of CdS.

An Elemental Phosphorus Photocatalyst with a Record High Hydrogen Evolution Efficiency

Semiconductive property of elementary substance is an interesting and attractive phenomenon. We obtain a breakthrough that fibrous phase red phosphorus, a recent discovered modification of red phosphorus by Ruck et al., can work as a semiconductor photocatalyst for visible-light-driven hydrogen (H2 ) evolution. Small sized fibrous phosphorus is obtained by 1) loading it on photoinactive SiO2 fibers or by 2) smashing it ultrasonically. They display the steady hydrogen evolution rates of 633 μmol h(-1)  g(-1) and 684 μmol h(-1)  g(-1) , respectively. These values are much higher than previous amorphous P (0.6 μmol h(-1)  g(-1) ) and Hittorf P (1.6 μmol h(-1)  g(-1) ). Moreover, they are the highest records in the family of elemental photocatalysts to date. This discovery is helpful for further understanding the semiconductive property of elementary substance. It is also favorable for the development of elemental photocatalysts.

Phosphorus containing materials for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Hydrogen from photocatalytic water splitting is a sustainable and renewable source of clean energy. The development of highly efficient photocatalysts is essential for the cost-effective and large-scale production of hydrogen. Effective photocatalysts made of earth abundant elements such as phosphorus have attracted great attention. The elemental red phosphorus by itself exhibits respectable photocatalytic activity, and some phosphorus compounds including phosphates and phosphides have also been found to be good photocatalysts. This timely review describes in detail all these P-containing species as well as P-doped systems. Their preparation, microstructure, optical and semiconductive properties are summarized thoroughly. Moreover, new findings about the relationship between the structure and activity are also discussed. Finally, inspired by the large amount of excellent examples, we have offered some perspectives for the future development of P-containing materials.

A nanostructured chromium(III) oxide/tungsten(VI) oxide p–n junction photoanode toward enhanced efficiency for water oxidation

A nanostructured chromium(III) oxide/tungsten(VI) oxide (Cr2O3/WO3) p–n junction photoanode is established here. It is prepared by depositing Cr2O3 nanoparticles onto WO3 nanosheet arrays. The formation of a p–n junction is confirmed by the Mott–Schottky plot and photocurrent measurements. Electrochemical and spectroscopic methods indicate that the recombination rate of photogenerated charges becomes lower in this photoanode. Consequently, its onset potential shifts negatively by about 0.1 V and photocurrent density increases from 0.7 to 1.8 mA cm−2 at 1.8 V vs. RHE. The incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) also shows a one-fold improvement. In addition, the construction of the p–n junction leads to an increase of faradaic efficiency (holes to oxygen) from 73.9% to 92.0%, which is attributed to the suppression of side reactions in water oxidation. This work will provide new inspiration for improving the performance of WO3 and other photoanodes.

Nanostructured Elemental Photocatalysts: Development and Challenges

Elemental semiconductors and semimetals have emerged as a new class of photocatalysts. Like traditional photocatalysts, their development is greatly promoted by the advancement of nanoscience. This chapter describes the recent progress of nanostructured elemental photocatalysts, including their prevailing synthetic strategies and their applications. Five semiconductor elements (silicon, selenium, phosphorus, sulfur, and boron) are introduced, followed by a brief review of a semimetal (bismuth). The prospects and opportunities in this emerging field are also discussed.