Recent advances in the photocatalytic mechanism of transition metal phosphides

In recent years, environmental remediation and clean energy production have attracted worldwide attention. Photocatalytic reaction under the irradiation of renewable solar energy is one of the effective ways to solve these problems. The photocatalytic system is relatively complicated, in which photocatalyst and co-catalyst are two key factors affecting the photocatalytic efficiency. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) with unique electronic structures are cheap and abundant, and hence have become a new and hot class of photocatalytic materials. Herein, starting from the basic principles of improving photocatalytic efficiency, including the enhancement of light absorption and the improvements of photogenerated electrons and holes separation efficiency, and photogenerated carriers' utilization, we reviews the latest progress of TMPs as co-catalysts and photocatalysts in last decade. Then, the challenges and problems in the rapid development of TMPs, such as the difficulty in full water splitting and the unclear structure-photocatalytic activity relationship, are pointed out. Finally, new and efficient photocatalytic TMPs based on dual-function design and theoretical calculations will play an important role in improving the photocatalytic efficiency. © 2021, Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd. All right reserved.