Bifunctional AlN:Tb semiconductor with luminescence and photocatalytic properties

Abstract

Tb doped AlN semiconductors can be successfully synthesized by a facile solid state route. The as-synthesized AlN:Tb semiconductor exhibits strong green emission, showing potential utilization in solid light-emitting diodes. XRD, TEM and PL are employed to analyze the structure, morphology and photoluminescence properties of the samples. In addition, the hydrogen evolution induced by the UV-vis light of AlN:Tb is well investigated, showing an excellent photocatalytic property of 68 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which suggests that the AlN:Tb semiconductor is a promising material for photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution.