Carbon Nitride Functionalized with Sb Resulting in High Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

Composites based on Sb clusters anchored on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) are prepared via a hierarchical sealed-tube calcination method. In the first stage, thermal treatment brings the density and crystallinity of g-C3N4 to substantially increase, resulting in 4.5 times higher photocatalytic efficiency toward water splitting for hydrogen generation. After further calcination under sealed-tube conditions, Sb species are successfully anchored on the edge of the pores within the g-C3N4 matrix in the form of atomic clusters. Photocatalytic hydrogen generation from the resulting Sb@C3N4 is further enhanced 14.4 times compared with the pristine g-C3N4. Such an improvement can be ascribed to the tuning of the electronic structure in Sb@C3N4 and hastened charge transfer.

2D material based heterostructures for solar light driven photocatalytic H2production

“…[124][125][126] CN-based heterostructures not only boost spatial charge separation but also allow for novel features originating from the synergistic effects between the components of the heterostructures. 127 The rational design of CN-based heterostructures can be classified into conventional type II, Z-scheme, S-scheme and other heterostructures such as Schottky and PN junctions.…”

Towards Full‐spectrum Photocatalysis: Extending to the Near‐infrared Region

“…Solar light has attracted considerable attention because it can be converted into chemical energy through photocatalysis and photothermal effects. [1][2][3][4] However, the state-of-the-art technology is still in its infancy and far from industrialization: the most developed photocatalytic systems can only be activated by UV or visible light, which account for only 4 % and 46 % of solar radiation, respectively. [5] From the perspective of fully utilizing solar energy, it is of significance to use the near-infrared (NIR) region, which accounts for approximately 50 % of the solar spectrum, by developing novel NIR or full-spectrum light-responsive photocatalysts with high quantum efficiency.…”

“…Motivated by the requirement to cope with the increasing environmental and energy crisis, clean and renewable energy is considered as the key route. Solar light has attracted considerable attention because it can be converted into chemical energy through photocatalysis and photothermal effects [1–4] . However, the state‐of‐the‐art technology is still in its infancy and far from industrialization: the most developed photocatalytic systems can only be activated by UV or visible light, which account for only 4 % and 46 % of solar radiation, respectively [5] .…”