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

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.