Phosphorus containing materials for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Hydrogen from photocatalytic water splitting is a sustainable and renewable source of clean energy. The development of highly efficient photocatalysts is essential for the cost-effective and large-scale production of hydrogen. Effective photocatalysts made of earth abundant elements such as phosphorus have attracted great attention. The elemental red phosphorus by itself exhibits respectable photocatalytic activity, and some phosphorus compounds including phosphates and phosphides have also been found to be good photocatalysts. This timely review describes in detail all these P-containing species as well as P-doped systems. Their preparation, microstructure, optical and semiconductive properties are summarized thoroughly. Moreover, new findings about the relationship between the structure and activity are also discussed. Finally, inspired by the large amount of excellent examples, we have offered some perspectives for the future development of P-containing materials.