Abstract
Visible-light responsive photocatalytic materials are expected to be deployed for practical use in photocatalytic water splitting. One of the promising materials as a p-type semiconductor, oxysulfides, was investigated in terms of the local charge carrier behavior for each particle by using a home-built time-resolved microscopic technique in combination with clustering analysis. We could differentiate electron and hole trapping to the surface states and the following recombination on a micron-scale from the nanosecond to microsecond order. The map of the charge carrier type revealed that charge trapping sites for electrons and holes were spatially separated within each particle/aggregate. Furthermore, the effect of the rhodium cocatalyst was recognized as a new electron pathway, trapping to the rhodium site and the following recombination, which was delayed compared with the original electron recombination process. The Rh effect was discussed based on the phenomenological simulation, revealing a possible reason for the decay was due to the anisotropic diffusion of charge carriers in oxysulfides or the interfacial energy barrier at the interface.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.