Recently, iChEM Prof. Can Li, Fuxiang Zhang and Shanshan Chen collaborated with Prof. Kazunari Domen from The University of Tokyo, and made a progress in efficient visible-light-driven Z-scheme overall water splitting. They found that a MgTa2O6−xNy /TaON heterostructure fabricated by a simple one-pot nitridation route was demonstrated to effectively suppress the recombination of carriers by efficient spatial charge separation and decreased defect density. A Z-scheme overall water splitting system with an apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 6.8 % at 420 nm was achieved using this heterostructure material. The related result was published on Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201502686/abstract)

Photocatalytic water splitting is an ideal way to resolve the energy crisis and environmental pollution. The development and application of wide-spectra semiconductor materials are the basis of realizing the high-efficiency photochemical conversion of solar energy. Recently, Prof. Can Li’s group worked on developing wide-spectra semiconductor materials. They realized the efficient wide-spectra absorption and utilization through doping nitrogen into layered and tunneled wide-bandgap semiconductors. They proved the feasibility of photocatalytic water splitting using these new-type semiconductors (J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, 12, 5651；Chem. Commun., 2014, 50, 14415；Chin. J. Catal., 2014, 35, 1431). However, these kind of semiconductors have low efficiency of carriers separation. Based on this problem, their team focuses on developing heterostructure, heterophase and charge separation on facets to improve the efficiency of carriers separation. Recently, they further designed a new strategy of synthesizing nitrogen compound, and developed the MgTa2O6−xNy/TaON heterostructure. The efficiency of carriers separation and Z-scheme overall water splitting were largely improved, and got the highest apparent quantum efficiency of powder photocatalytic Z-scheme overall water splitting. This research provided a new strategy of synthesizing heterostructure, and established the foundation of developing high-efficient overall water splitting process.

Resources from: http://www.dicp.ac.cn/xwzx/kjdt/201506/t20150611_4372395.html