2D/2D interface heterostructures of g-CN and NiAl-LDH are synthesized utilizing strong electrostatic interactions between positively charged 2D NiAl-LDH sheets and negatively charged 2D g-CN nanosheets. This new 2D/2D interface heterojunction showed remarkable performance for photocatalytic CO reduction to produce renewable fuels such as CO and H under visible-light irradiation, far superior to that of either single phase g-CN or NiAl-LDH nanosheets. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity could be attributed mainly to the excellent interfacial contact at the heterojunction of g-CN/NiAl-LDH, which subsequently results in suppressed recombination, and improved transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers. In addition, the optimal g-CN/NiAl-LDH nanocomposite possessed high photostability after successive experimental runs with no obvious change in the production of CO from CO reduction. Our findings regarding the design, fabrication and photophysical properties of 2D/2D heterostructure systems may find use in other photocatalytic applications including H production and water purification.

N-doped ZnO/g-C3N4 hybrid core-shell nanoplates have been successfully prepared via a facile, cost-effective and eco-friendly ultrasonic dispersion method for the first time. HRTEM studies confirm the formation of the N-doped ZnO/g-C3N4 hybrid core-shell nanoplates with an average diameter of 50 nm and the g-C3N4 shell thickness can be tuned by varying the content of loaded g-C3N4. The direct contact of the N-doped ZnO surface and g-C3N4 shell without any adhesive interlayer introduced a new carbon energy level in the N-doped ZnO band gap and thereby effectively lowered the band gap energy. Consequently, the as-prepared hybrid core-shell nanoplates showed a greatly enhanced visible-light photocatalysis for the degradation of Rhodamine B compare to that of pure N-doped ZnO surface and g-C3N4. Based on the experimental results, a proposed mechanism for the N-doped ZnO/g-C3N4 photocatalyst was discussed. Interestingly, the hybrid core-shell nanoplates possess high photostability. The improved photocatalytic performance is due to a synergistic effect at the interface of the N-doped ZnO and g-C3N4 including large surface-exposure area, energy band structure and enhanced charge-separation properties. Significantly, the enhanced performance also demonstrates the importance of evaluating new core-shell composite photocatalysts with g-C3N4 as shell material.

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In this study, we report a facile polymeric citrate strategy for the synthesis of Cr,La-codoped SrTiO3 nanoparticles. The synthesized samples were well characterized by various analytical techniques. The UV-vis DRS studies reveal that the absorption edge shifts towards the visible light region after doping with Cr, which is highly beneficial for absorbing the visible light in the solar spectrum. More attractively, codoping with La exhibits greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B under sunlight irradiation. The optimum photocatalytic activity at 1 atom% of Cr,La-codoped SrTiO3 nanoparticles is almost 6 times higher than that of pure SrTiO3 nanoparticles and 3 times higher than that of Cr-doped SrTiO3 nanoparticles. The high photocatalytic performance in the present photocatalytic system is due to codoping with La, which acts as a most effective donor for stabilizing Cr(3+) in Cr,La-codoped SrTiO3 nanoparticles. More importantly, the synthesized photocatalysts possess high reusability. A proposed mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of Cr,La-codoped SrTiO3 nanoparticles was also investigated by trapping experiments. Therefore, our results not only demonstrate the highly efficient visible light photocatalytic activity of the Cr,La-codoped SrTiO3 photocatalyst, but also enlighten the codoping strategy in the design and development of advanced photocatalytic materials for energy and environmental applications.

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A green approach is proposed to fabricate a TiO2/LDH core–shell hybrid as a potential catalyst for photoreduction of CO2 to solar fuels with high activity and selectivity.

 g-C 3 N 4 /CdS/rGO (2D/1D/2D) dual-interface ternary composite system was developed.  The ternary system showed excellent photocatalytic H 2 generation under visible-light.  At an optimum CdS and rGO contents the ternary system exhibited QE of 11.1% (420 nm).  The g-C 3 N 4 /CdS/rGO dual-interface system exhibited high photostability.  Specific benefits of a dual-interface system over a single interface case are emphasized.