Violet phosphorus: an effective metal-free elemental photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photocatalysis
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Violet phosphorus, a non-metallic elemental layered material, has been underexplored as a photocatalyst due to resource limitations.
• Black phosphorus, a related allotrope, has shown photocatalytic activity but faces challenges in stability and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the photocatalytic potential of violet phosphorus for hydrogen evolution.
• To compare the hydrogen evolution performance of violet phosphorus with black phosphorus.
• To optimize the use of violet phosphorus as a photocatalyst with a co-catalyst.

Main Methods:

• Dispersing violet phosphorus in deionized water.
• Adding platinum (Pt) as a co-catalyst at varying concentrations (0.5 wt% and 1.0 wt%).
• Measuring the hydrogen (H2) evolution rate under photocatalytic conditions.

Main Results:

• Violet phosphorus achieved a high hydrogen evolution rate of 675 ± 109 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ with 1.0 wt% Pt co-catalyst.
• A hydrogen evolution rate of 553 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ was observed with 0.5 wt% Pt co-catalyst.
• The violet phosphorus photocatalyst exhibited high stability during the hydrogen evolution process.

Conclusions:

• Violet phosphorus is a highly effective photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution, surpassing black phosphorus.
• The addition of a platinum co-catalyst significantly enhances the hydrogen evolution rate of violet phosphorus.
• Violet phosphorus presents a promising, stable, and efficient material for photocatalytic hydrogen production.