Recent Advances in Elemental Red Phosphorus-Based Photocatalysts for Solar Driven Hydrogen Production

Abstract

The development of efficient photocatalyst materials is crucial for solar hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting. Recently, earth-abundant elemental red phosphorus (RP) materials with broader light absorption ability and appropriate band structure characteristics have been considered as promising metal-free photocatalysts. Herein, this review seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the progress achieved so far in the utilization of RP-based photocatalysts for solar driven hydrogen production applications. It starts off with a summary of the discovery, crystal and electronic structures of various RP allotropes, including amorphous, type Ⅱ, Hittorf's and fibrous phosphorus materials. Subsequently, the synthesis strategies of RP and RP-based materials utilized in photocatalysis were discussed. Furthermore, the elemental RP, and the modification of RP with cocatalyst and other semiconductors were examined to ascertain its potential in efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production. Finally, an overview and outlook on the challenges and future avenues in designing and constructing advanced visible-light-driven RP-based photocatalysts were also proposed.