All-solid-state red phosphorus/RGO/WO3 Z-scheme heterostructure for photocatalytic overall water splitting

Abstract

Red phosphorus’s (Red P) photocatalytic overall water splitting activity is limited by rapid charge recombination. In this case, Red P/RGO/WO3, an all-solid-state Z-scheme heterostructure, was created by simply dispersing, mixing, and heating Red P, WO3, and graphene oxide (GO). Among them, Reduced GO (RGO) facilitated the Z-scheme charge transmission between Red P and WO3. Achieving the space separation between electrons stored in Red P’s conduction band and holes accumulated in WO3′s valence band would prolong the lifespan of photogenerated carriers and increase their redox capacity, which will increase photocatalytic activity. When exposed to visible light, Red P/RGO/WO3 demonstrated an effective overall water splitting activity, producing 287.00 μmol h−1 g−1 of H2, which is around 2.5 times more than Red P. This study constructs Z-scheme heterostructures as a possible means of enhancing Red P’s photocatalytic overall water splitting activity.