Special Z-scheme Cu3P/TiO2 hetero-junction for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water

Exploring sustainable noble-metal-free photocatalyst still remains a huge challenge for highly efficient and durable photocatalytic H2 production. In this work, Cu3P nanosheets were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method without using any organic solvents, and red phosphorus was used as the phosphorus source. A Z-scheme Cu3P/TiO2 photocatalyst without a noble metal was rationally fabricated to achieve UV–vis harvesting. Compared to TiO2, the optimized Cu3P/TiO2 photocatalyst displays much more excellent activity with the hydrogen evolution rate of 607.5 µmol h−1 g−1, which is 30.4 folds higher than that of bare TiO2 photocatalyst under solar light irradiation. The enhancement of charge carriers separation efficiency in Cu3P/TiO2 is demonstrated by the photoluminescence (PL) spectra, transient photocurrent response and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Moreover, The photo-induced charge-transfer route of Cu3P/TiO2 is a Z-scheme transfer mode confirmed by selective deposition of Pt nanoparticles, the photocatalytic decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB). In the Z-scheme system, the holes are left on the TiO2, and photo-exited electron will be enriched on Cu3P nanosheets for hydrogen evolution. This work will provide more insight into fabricating eco-friendly phosphide-based catalyst with efficient photocatalytic hydrogen property and sufficient durability for solar-to-chemical conversion and utilization. In this work, Z-scheme Cu3P/TiO2 hetero-junction has been constructed to enhance the photo-generated e-/h+ separation rate, thus ultimately resulting in a remarkably improved hydrogen evolution. [Display omitted] •Cu3P nanosheets were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method and red phosphorus was used as the phosphorus source.•Cu3P/TiO2 hetero-junction displays excellent photocatalytic activity of hydrogen production (607.5 µmol h-1 g-1).•A Z-scheme Cu3P/TiO2 hetero-junction without a noble metal was rationally fabricated.