Qingzhe Zhang
PhD student at the Energy Materials Telecommunciations Centre
Institut national de la recherche scientfique
Award-winning publication: Ice-Assisted Synthesis of Black Phosphorus Nanosheets as a MetalFree Photocatalyst: 2D/2D Heterostructure for Broadband H2 Evolution
Published in: Advanced Functional Materials
Abstract
Environmental pollution and energy crisis caused by combusting fossil fuels are serious problems facing human beings. Developing efficient, low-cost photocatalysts for converting solar energy into hydrogen, a clean zero-emission fuel, has been promising but challenging. Qingzhe Zhang synthesized a completely metal-free black phosphorus/carbon nitride material, showing excellent hydrogen-evolution activity from solar water-splitting. Furthermore, he developed an innovative method (patent pending) to prepare few-layer black phosphorus, addressing the primary barrier for its practical application: scale-up-production. He adopted a 2D-on-2D strategy to solve stability, which is a major issue. His work promises a bright future for generating 2D materials and green energy.