A novel direct Z-scheme CoTiO3/g-C3N4 (CT-U) photocatalytic system with different weight percentage of CoTiO3 was synthesized using a facile in situ growth method for H2 evolution from water splitting. The as-prepared CT-U composites composed of 1D CoTiO3 microrod and 2D g-C3N4 nanosheet were characterized by various techniques including XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, FTIR, and UV-vis. Results demonstrate that the CT-U composite photocatalysts were successfully fabricated, with intimate interfacial contact and heterojunction interaction between g-C3N4 and CoTiO3 which can significantly boost the photocatalytic activity compared with prinstine g-C3N4 and CoTiO3. The most enhanced H2-evolution rate of 858 μmol h(-1) g(-1) and high quantum efficiency (38.4% at 365 nm, 3.23% at 420 ± 20 nm) are achieved at an optimal 0.15% CT-U. Meanwhile, the 0.15% CT-U sample exhibits good photocatalytic stability in recycling H2 evolution. Accordingly, direct Z-scheme mechanism capable of leading efficient charge carrier separation and strong reduction ability for enhanced H2 production was proposed, and further evidenced by PL, photoelectrochemical analysis, and ESR assay.
We report the large-scale synthesis of porous graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) in a direct heat treatment process by controlling the thermal condensation temperature of the low-cost urea precursor. An excellent linear relation between the yield of the urea-derived porous g-C 3 N 4 (U-g-C 3 N 4 ) and the input urea was experimentally demonstrated, and consequently, a large-scale yield >50 g in a batch was readily achieved. A series of morphology and structure characterizations revealed the actual evolutionary process of the temperature-dependent porous architecture of U-g-C 3 N 4 and its inherent superiority. Furthermore, we demonstrated the extraordinary visible-light-driven photodegradation activity of large-scale U-g-C 3 N 4 toward organic pollutants such as rhodamine B, safranine T, and α-naphthol. Such superior photodegradation performance and long-term photocatalytic stability, together with a scalable preparation method, may render as-fabricated U-g-C 3 N 4 as a promising candidate for practical application in environmental remediation.
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