As a key method to convert solar into chemical energy, photocatalytic water decomposition has garnered attention. Moreover, the development of graphene and graphene-like two-dimensional (2D) materials has brought fresh vitality in the field of photocatalysis. Here, we prepared two to four layers of GeTe nanosheets by ultrasonic-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation in argon and air, which we referred to as Ar-GeTe and O-GeTe, respectively. The photocatalytic hydrogen production potential of 2D GeTe was experimentally investigated for the first time. The results indicated that minimally layered GeTe samples are indirect-gap semiconductors with the GeTe band gap increasing after oxidation. All samples have suitable band positions that can drive photocatalytic water splitting into H2 under mild conditions, providing maximum hydrogen evolution rates of 1.13 mmol g-1 h-1 (Ar-GeTe) and 0.54 mmol g-1 h-1 (O-GeTe). With density functional theory computations, the structural stability of GeTe in air was discussed, revealing that oxygen atoms could easily combine with Ge to form a more stable structure, thus impacting the photocatalytic performance of 2D GeTe. Therefore, the light requirement and oxygen deficiency of the material give an advantage in the field of energy supply in space.
Keywords: air stability; germanium telluride; oxide structure; photocatalytic; valence band.