Recent advances of cobalt-based nitride catalysts in solar energy conversion

Abstract

Solar energy harnessing and conversion has attracted considerable research interest. Photo(electro)catalysis based approaches offers one of the ways for forward. In recent times, cobalt-based nitrides, with their excellent catalytic properties...

Emerging transition metal nitrides in solar energy conversion: design strategies and future perspectives for efficient photocatalysis

“…Among them, cobalt nitride is a notable material due to its tunable metal-to-nitrogen ratio, which can range from 1 : 1 to 4 : 1 or even higher. 8 This property enables its application not only as a photocatalyst but also as a photocatalytic co-catalyst. It is worth noting that the nitrogen content may also have a similar impact on the properties of multi-metal nitrides.…”

“…When used as co-catalysts for semiconductor photocatalysts with different work functions, low-nitrogen-content TMNs can form Schottky barriers or Ohmic contacts with different photocatalysts, facilitating further separation of photo-generated carriers. 8 Furthermore, TMN materials, as co-catalysts, can also provide a large number of active sites for photocatalytic reactions. For semiconductor photocatalysts with poor photo-stability, the use of TMNs as co-catalysts can have a beneficial impact on their photo-corrosion.…”

“…Presently, prevalent methods for producing TMN materials encompass physical methods and chemical methods. [6][7][8] Physical methods include laser ablation method, arc-discharge method, evaporation method, electrospinning method, and pulsed-laser deposition method, and so on. 7 These synthesis methods rely on specialized equipment and can yield high-purity transition metal nitride products.…”

“…In recent years, transition metal nitride (TMN) materials have garnered increased attention in the field of photocatalysis as both photocatalysts and photocatalytic cocatalysts, owing to their unique electronic structure, excellent optoelectronic properties, and stable physicochemical characteristics. [6][7][8][9] TMN materials, as photocatalysts, possess suitable band structures that allow them to absorb a wider range of solar wavelengths. 10 The unique electronic structure of TMNs, as interstitial compounds, grants them surface adsorption and catalytic properties resembling those of noble metal materials in the VIII group.…”

“…In the past three years, we have published two review articles summarizing the applications of TMNs and cobaltbased nitrides materials in the field of solar energy conversion. 6,8 The previous works primarily focused on the diverse functionalities of TMNs in photocatalytic systems. However, it has been observed that despite the growing number of research papers on TMN-based photocatalytic systems in recent years, there is still a lack of summarization on how to design TMN-based photocatalytic materials.…”