Photocatalysts for water splitting are of particular importance to a renewable energy based energy and economic landscape. Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors hold significant promise because of their large surface area compared to bulk photocatalysts. To overcome the crucial problem of the short lifetime of photogenerated charges, 2D van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures are being considered due to their awesome ability to separate photogenerated electrons and holes. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art studies on the topic of 2D photocatalysts, especially vdW heterostructure, for water splitting. After demonstrating the fundamental concepts of the light-driven redox reaction for water splitting, we discuss a number of promising 2D vdW heterostructures, highlighting the transition metal dichalcogenides and phosphorene based heterostructures, from both theoretical and experimental insights. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges in this area of investigation....

中文翻译：

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光催化水分解的二维异质结构：最新进展的回顾。

用于水分解的光催化剂对于基于可再生能源的能源和经济格局尤为重要。二维（2D）半导体具有广阔的前景，因为与块状光催化剂相比，它们的表面积大。为了克服光生电荷寿命短的关键问题，由于二维范德华（vdW）异质结构具有强大的分离光生电子和空穴的能力，人们正在考虑使用它们。这篇综述总结了用于水分解的二维光催化剂，特别是vdW异质结构的最新研究。在论证了光分解水驱动的氧化还原反应的基本概念之后，我们讨论了许多有前途的二维vdW异质结构，重点介绍了过渡金属二卤化物和磷基异质结构，从理论和实验的角度来看。最后，我们讨论了这一调查领域中的机遇与挑战。