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Violet Antimony Phosphorus with Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Xuewen Zhao1, Mengyue Gu1, Rui Zhai1
1State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Center of Nanomaterials for Renewable Energy, School of Electrical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, P. R. China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|June 9, 2023
Summary
Antimony substitution in violet phosphorus (VP) enhances its photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. This modified material, VP-Sb, shows a fivefold increase in hydrogen production compared to pristine VP.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photocatalysis
- Solid-State Chemistry
Background:
- Violet phosphorus (VP) is a layered elemental material with notable photoelectric, mechanical, and photocatalytic properties.
- Element substitution is a key strategy for tuning the properties of semiconducting materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of antimony (Sb) substitution on the physical and chemical properties of violet phosphorus.
- To enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of violet phosphorus.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of antimony-substituted violet phosphorus single crystals (VP-Sb) using single crystal X-ray diffraction.
- UV/vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations to determine bandgap and electronic structure.
- Evaluation of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rates under controlled experimental conditions.
Main Results:
- Antimony substitution lowered the bandgap of VP, enhancing optical absorption.
- The conducting band minimum of VP-Sb was upshifted, improving hydrogen reduction activity.
- VP-Sb exhibited superior H* adsorption-desorption performance and H2 generation kinetics.
- The H2 evolution rate of VP-Sb reached 1473 µmol h-1 g-1, a fivefold increase over pristine VP.
Conclusions:
- Antimony substitution effectively tunes the electronic and optical properties of violet phosphorus.
- VP-Sb demonstrates significantly enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance.
- This study highlights the potential of element substitution for developing advanced photocatalytic materials.
