Three-dimensional red phosphorus: A promising photocatalyst with excellent adsorption and reduction performance

Red phosphorus with three-dimensional nanostructure (3D-RP) was prepared by a hydrothermal method using commercial micron-sized RP as precursor. The investigation indicates that 3D-RP can harvest most of the visible light (Eg = 1.79 eV) and the BET surface area can reach 54.3 m(2)/g. It is interesting that 3D-RP exhibits quick adsorption property for methylene blue (MB) during the static adsorption experiment. Besides, Au and Cu ions can be adsorbed and reduced to their metallic states over the surface of 3D-RP without adding any reducing agent. Au and Cu species can greatly improve the photocurrent intensity and the photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency of 3D-RP. This work is the primary investigation on the element phosphorus photocatalyst, further work should be conducted to explore more interesting properties about nano-sized RP.