RETRACTED ARTICLE: Supported black phosphorus nanosheets as hydrogen-evolving photocatalyst achieving 5.4% energy conversion efficiency at 353 K

Abstract

Solar-driven water splitting using powdered catalysts is considered as the most economical means for hydrogen generation. However, four-electron-driven oxidation half-reaction showing slow kinetics, accompanying with insufficient light absorption and rapid carrier combination in photocatalysts leads to low solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency. Here, we report amorphous cobalt phosphide (Co-P)-supported black phosphorus nanosheets employed as photocatalysts can simultaneously address these issues. The nanosheets exhibit robust hydrogen evolution from pure water (pH = 6.8) without bias and hole scavengers, achieving an apparent quantum efficiency of 42.55% at 430 nm and energy conversion efficiency of over 5.4% at 353 K. This photocatalytic activity is attributed to extremely efficient utilization of solar energy (~75% of solar energy) by black phosphorus nanosheets and high-carrier separation efficiency by amorphous Co-P. The hybrid material design realizes efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion in suspension, demonstrating the potential of black phosphorus-based materials as catalysts for solar hydrogen production.

High‐Yield Electrochemical Production of Large‐Sized and Thinly Layered NiPS3 Flakes for Overall Water Splitting

“…Notably the XPS results revealed that LSTL NiPS 3 obtained by electrochemically cathodic exfoliation only exhibited characteristic peaks of P 2p 3/2 , P 2p 1/2 , S 2p 3/2 , and S 2p 1/2 . The peaks centered at ≈134.5 eV and ≈167.8 eV associated with oxidized P and S were not observed,1a,11,12 suggesting the negligible oxidation degree of LSTL NiPS 3 . In contrast, traditional exfoliation methods always suffered from the production of 2D materials with an unwanted high oxidation degree .…”

“…The peaks centered at ≈134.5 eV and ≈167.8 eV associated with oxidized P and S were not observed,1a,11,12 suggesting the negligible oxidation degree of LSTL NiPS 3 . In contrast, traditional exfoliation methods always suffered from the production of 2D materials with an unwanted high oxidation degree . The Ni 2p, P 2p, and S 2p peaks also display a slight redshift in the binding energy compared to those of the bulk crystals (Figure S16, Supporting Information), probably originating from the thickness change in NiPS 3 during electrochemical exfoliation (Figure S17, Supporting Information).…”

A Low‐Cost Metal‐Free Photocatalyst Based on Black Phosphorus

“…[14] Furthermore, because of the 2D structure, BP shows a high charge mobility up to 1000 cm 2 V −1 s −1 and large surface area. Consequently, various BP-based heterostructures such as BP/TiO 2 , [22] BP/CoP, [23] BP/Au/La 2 Ti 2 O 7 , [24] BP/BiVO 4 , [25] and BP/Au/CdS [26] have been proposed to have good photocatalytic characteristics. Consequently, various BP-based heterostructures such as BP/TiO 2 , [22] BP/CoP, [23] BP/Au/La 2 Ti 2 O 7 , [24] BP/BiVO 4 , [25] and BP/Au/CdS [26] have been proposed to have good photocatalytic characteristics.…”

Facile One‐Step Synthesis of Black Phosphorus via Microwave Irradiation with Excellent Photocatalytic Activity

“…XRD pattern shows the main characteristic of BP, which was consistent with the results in the literature. [11b,24,25] XRD pattern also shows wide diffraction peaks, indicating the presence of amorphous RP. P 2p X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectrum of BP–RP heterostructure (Figure d) could be deconvoluted into two peaks at 129.2 and 129.9 eV, which were assigned to P 2p 3/2 and P 2p 1/2 , respectively …”