Journal Article

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

Liu, Danni, Wen, Min, Zhou, Zhang‐Kai, Yu, Xue‐Feng, Wang, Jiahong, Huang, Hao, Tong, Ruifeng, Yu, Ying, Chu, Paul K.

2019

Overview

An efficient metal‐free photocatalyst composed of black phosphorus (BP) and graphitic carbon nitride (CN) is prepared on a large scale by ball milling. Using economical urea and red phosphorus (RP) as the raw materials, the estimated materials cost of BP/CN is 0.235 Euro per gram. The BP/CN heterostructure shows efficient charge separation and possesses abundant active sites, giving rise to excellent photocatalytic H2 evolution and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation efficiency. Without using a co‐catalyst, the metal‐free BP/CN emits H2 consistently at a rate as large as 786 µmol h−1 g−1 and RhB is decomposed in merely 25 min during visible‐light irradiation. The corresponding electron/hole transfer and catalytic mechanisms are analyzed and described. The efficient metal‐free catalyst is promising in visible‐light photocatalysis and the simple ball‐milling synthetic method can be readily scaled up. Metal‐free black phosphorus/graphitic carbon nitride (BP/CN) heterostructures are prepared by ball milling using economical urea and red phosphorus as the raw materials. Without using a co‐catalyst, BP/CN emits H2 consistently at a rate as large as 786 µmol h−1 g−1 and rhodamine B is decomposed in merely 25 min, demonstrating excellent performances in visible‐light photocatalysis.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subject: 2D materials / black phosphorus / Communication / Communications / Efficiency / Evolution / hydrogen evolution / Light / Nanoparticles / Phosphorus / Photocatalysis / Quantum dots / Raw materials / Scanning electron microscopy / Spectrum analysis