Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation is a promising alternative
to
the Haber–Bosch process to alleviate the energy and environmental
crises. Here, we designed a pinecone-shaped graphite-phase carbon
nitride (PCN) catalyst supported with MoS2 nanosheets by
a supramolecular self-assembly method. The catalyst shows an excellent
photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (PNRR) due to the larger
specific surface area and the enhancement of visible light owing to
the reduced band gap. Under simulated sunlight, the sample of PCN
loaded with 5 wt % MoS2 nanosheets (MS5%/PCN) shows a PNRR
efficiency of 279.41 μmol g–1 h–1, which is 14.9 times that of bulk graphite-phase carbon nitride
(g-C3N4), 4.6 times that of PCN, and 5.4 times
that of MoS2, respectively. The unique pinecone-like structure
of MS5%/PCN not only improves the ability of light absorption but
also assists in the uniform loading of MoS2 nanosheets.
Likewise, the existence of MoS2 nanosheets improves the
light absorption ability of the catalyst and reduces the impedance
of the catalyst. Furthermore, as a co-catalyst, MoS2 nanosheets
can efficiently adsorb nitrogen (N2) and serve as active
N2 reduction sites. From the perspective of structural
design, this work can offer novel solutions for the creation of effective
N2-fixing photocatalysts.
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