Photocatalytic Materials Center, and International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), and Innovative Center of Nanomaterials Science for Environment and Energy (ICNSEE), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan.
Nat Mater. 2010 Jul;9(7):559-64. doi: 10.1038/nmat2780. Epub 2010 Jun 6.
The search for active semiconductor photocatalysts that directly split water under visible-light irradiation remains one of the most challenging tasks for solar-energy utilization. Over the past 30 years, the search for such materials has focused mainly on metal-ion substitution as in In(1-x)Ni(x)TaO(4) and (V-,Fe- or Mn-)TiO(2) (refs 7,8), non-metal-ion substitution as in TiO(2-x)N(x) and Sm(2)Ti(2)O(5)S(2) (refs 9,10) or solid-solution fabrication as in (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) and ZnS-CuInS(2)-AgInS(2) (refs 11,12). Here we report a new use of Ag(3)PO(4) semiconductor, which can harness visible light to oxidize water as well as decompose organic contaminants in aqueous solution. This suggests its potential as a photofunctional material for both water splitting and waste-water cleaning. More generally, it suggests the incorporation of p block elements and alkali or alkaline earth ions into a simple oxide of narrow bandgap as a strategy to design new photoelectrodes or photocatalysts.
寻找能在可见光照射下直接分解水的活性半导体光催化剂仍然是太阳能利用最具挑战性的任务之一。在过去的 30 年中，人们主要专注于通过金属离子取代来寻找此类材料，如 In(1-x)Ni(x)TaO(4) 和 (V-、Fe-或 Mn-)TiO(2)（参考文献 7、8），通过非金属离子取代来寻找，如 TiO(2-x)N(x) 和 Sm(2)Ti(2)O(5)S(2)（参考文献 9、10），或通过固溶体制造来寻找，如 (Ga(1-x)Zn(x))(N(1-x)O(x)) 和 ZnS-CuInS(2)-AgInS(2)（参考文献 11、12）。在这里，我们报告了一种新的 Ag(3)PO(4)半导体的用途，它可以利用可见光氧化水以及分解水溶液中的有机污染物。这表明它有可能成为一种用于水分解和废水处理的光电功能材料。更一般地说，它表明将 p 区元素和碱金属或碱土金属离子掺入到窄带隙的简单氧化物中是设计新型光电电极或光催化剂的一种策略。
