A Facile Route for the Preparation of Cu 3 P Toward Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

To address the urgency of sustainable energy conversion and environmental protection, photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production is a promising strategy to mitigate fossil energy scarcity. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have garnered wide attention due to their unique electronic structure and excellent catalytic activity, serving as competitive alternatives to scarce and expensive precious metal catalysts in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) reactions. Herein, a high‐performance copper phosphide (Cu 3 P) photocatalyst was fabricated via a facile, cost‐effective chemical synthesis method. Key reaction parameters—photosensitizer type, sacrificial agent concentration, and catalyst dosage—were systematically investigated for their effects on PHE performance. Under optimal conditions, the Cu 3 P/fluorescein/triethylamine composite system exhibits remarkable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity, delivering 194 µmol hydrogen with a turnover number (TON) of 7.17 after 16 h irradiation and a turnover frequency (TOF) of 0.65 h − 1 within 8 h. This study provides a scalable synthesis approach for high‐activity Cu 3 P and valuable references for designing transition metal phosphide‐based materials for efficient solar‐to‐hydrogen conversion.