Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production Utilizing Metal Phosphides
Summary
Photocatalytic hydrogen production harnesses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen via semiconductor materials. Metal phosphides—compounds of transition metals with phosphorus—have emerged as highly promising cocatalysts in this field owing to their low cost, tunable electronic structures, high electrical conductivity and favourable hydrogen‐evolution kinetics. When combined with light‐absorbing semiconductors such as cadmium sulfide or graphitic carbon nitride, metal phosphides form heterojunctions or Schottky interfaces that promote efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers, lower overpotentials for hydrogen evolution and suppress photocorrosion. Recent advances have demonstrated remarkable enhancements in hydrogen‐generation rates and operational stability under visible‐light irradiation, suggesting a realistic pathway towards scalable, noble‐metal‐free solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion.
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Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production Utilizing Metal Phosphides publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in photocatalytic hydrogen production utilizing metal phosphides across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Photocatalysis: Light‐driven acceleration of a chemical reaction on a semiconductor surface.
Metal phosphide: A compound combining a transition metal and phosphorus, used as a low‐cost hydrogen‐evolution cocatalyst.
Cocatalyst: A secondary catalyst deposited on a photocatalyst that enhances reaction kinetics without absorbing light.
Heterojunction: An interface between two semiconductors or between a semiconductor and a cocatalyst that facilitates charge separation.
Apparent quantum efficiency: The ratio of electrons utilised in hydrogen production to incident photons, expressed as a percentage.
References
- Promotion effect of metal phosphides towards electrocatalytic and photocatalytic water splitting. EcoMat (2021).
- Fabrication of Ni2P Cocatalyzed CdS Nanorods with a Well-Defined Heterointerface for Enhanced Photocatalytic H2 Evolution. Catalysts (2022).
- One-Dimensional Tubular Carbon Nitride Embedded in Ni2P for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of H2 Evolution. Catalysts (2024).
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