Bandgap Funneling in Bismuth‐Based Hybrid Perovskite Photocatalyst with Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven Hydrogen Evolution
Yunqi Tang, Chun Hong Mak, Chen Wang, Yu Fu, Fangfang Li, Guohua Jia, Chang‐Wei Hsieh, Hsin‐Hui Shen, Juan Carlos Colmenares, Haisheng Song, Mingjian Yuan, Yue Chen, Hsien‐Yi Hsu
Abstract
Abstract The photocatalytic system using hydrohalic acid (HX) for hydrogen production is a promising strategy to generate clean and renewable fuels as well as value‐added chemicals (such as X 2 /X 3 − ). However, it is still challenging to develop a visible‐light active and strong‐acid resistive photocatalyst. Hybrid perovskites have been recognized as a potential photocatalyst for photovoltaic HX splitting. Herein, a novel environmentally friendly mixed halide perovskite MA 3 Bi 2 Cl 9–x I x with a bandgap funnel structure is developed, i.e., confirmed by energy dispersive X‐ray analysis and density functional theory calculations. Due to gradient neutral formation energy within iodine‐doped MA 3 Bi 2 Cl 9 , the concentration of iodide element decreases from the surface to the interior across the MA 3 Bi 2 Cl 9–x I x perovskite. Because of the aligned energy levels of iodide/chloride‐mixed MA 3 Bi 2 Cl 9–x I x , a graded bandgap funnel structure is therefore formed, leading to the promotion of photoinduced charge transfer from the interior to the surface for efficient photocatalytic redox reaction. As a result, the hydrogen generation rate of the optimized MA 3 Bi 2 Cl 9–x I x is enhanced up to ≈341 ± 61.7 µmol h −1 with a Pt co‐catalyst under visible light irradiation.