Photocatalytic water splitting was observed on black phosphorus/BiVO₄ heterostructure under visible light irradiation.

The optoelectronic and defect properties of mixed-halide CsPbI₂Br were explored, both α-phase and β-phase CsPbI₂Br possess better thermal and phase stability than CsPbI₃ due to the mixture of halide elements.

In the current study, a mediator-free solid-state BiVO₄/pyridine-doped g-C₃N₄ nano-Z-scheme photocatalytic system (BDCN) with superior visible-light absorption and optimized photocatalytic activity was constructed via an in situ hydrothermal method for the first time. The pyridine-doped g-C₃N₄ (DCN) nanosheets show strong absorbance in the visible-light region by pyridine doping, and the BiVO₄ (∼10 nm) nanoparticles are successfully in situ grown on the surface of DCN nanosheets by the controlled hydrothermal method. Under the irradiation of visible light (λ > 420 nm), the BiVO₄/DCN nanocomposite photocatalysts efficiently degrade phenol and methyl orange (MO) and display much higher photocatalytic activity than the individual DCN, bulk BiVO₄, or the simple physical mixture of DCN and BiVO₄. The greatly improved photocatalytic ability is attributed to the construction of the direct Z-scheme system in the BiVO₄/DCN nanocomposite free from any mediator, which leads to enhanced separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, as confirmed by the photocurrent analysis. The possible Z-scheme mechanism of the BiVO₄/DCN nanocomposite photocatalyst was investigated by transient time-resolved luminescence decay spectrum, active species trapping experiments, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technology, and hydrogen evolution test.

In this work, black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) were decorated on hexagonal ZnIn₂S₄ flower-like microspheres to form zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) structures. Interface interactions between the BPQDs and ZnIn₂S₄ resulted in optimum effective charge transfer, thereby improving the photocatalytic performance of the material. Thus, the 0.2% BPQD–ZnIn₂S₄ sample showed 30% higher H₂ evolution rates compared to pure ZnIn₂S₄. This study provides a simple route for the synthesis of photocatalysts. The results obtained herein can pave the way for designing effective catalysts for solar-to-chemical energy conversion and feasible approaches to obtain cheap, clean, and efficient photocatalysts.