Improving the photocatalytic hydrogen production of Ag/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites by dye-sensitization under visible light irradiation

Abstract

Ag nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of g-C3N4 by a chemical reduction method to increase visible-light absorption via the localized surface plasmon resonance effect, resulting in the reduced recombination of photo-generated electron-holes and enhanced photocatalytic activity. The Ag/g-C3N4 composite with a Ag loading of 3 wt% has the optimum photoactivity that is almost 3.6 and 3.4 times higher than pure g-C3N4 and the same photocatalysis system which has been reported, respectively. Fluorescein was introduced as a photosensitizer and H2 evolution soared to 2014.20 μmol g(-1) h(-1) and the rate is even about 4.8 times higher than that of the 3 wt% Ag/g-C3N4 composite. The chemical structure, composites, morphologies and optical properties of the obtained products are well-characterized by XRD, FTIR, TEM, EDS, XPS and UV-Vis DRS. Meanwhile, the photocatalyst exhibits high stability and reusability.

Efficient visible light-induced degradation of rhodamine B by W(NxS1−x)2 nanoflowers

“…Comparing with recently reported photocatalysts, such as Jia et al . (1.7*10 −5  A/m −2 )41, Wen et al . (1.75*10 −3  A/m −2 )42, Zhi et al .…”

Photoassisted Construction of Holey Defective g‐C3N4 Photocatalysts for Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven H2O2 Production

“…Bulk g‐C 3 N 4 (BCN) has limited visible‐light absorption ability and also suffers from a low separation efficiency of photoexcited charge carriers, resulting in low photocatalytic activity . Aiming at improving the photocatalytic performance of g‐C 3 N 4 , various strategies have been developed, such as heteroatoms doping, nanostructure design, dye sensitization, and coupling with other semiconductors or conductors . Particularly, the introduction of nitrogen defects into the g‐C 3 N 4 framework was recently developed as an effective strategy to significantly enhance the photocatalytic activity of g‐C 3 N 4 under visible light .…”

Cu Nanoparticles/Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide (FTO) Nanocomposites for Photocatalytic H2 Evolution under Visible Light Irradiation

“…The peak at 1678 cm −1 is attributed to the C=O stretching vibration [28]. The peaks around 3400-3800 cm −1 correspond to the N-H stretching vibration of amino groups and the O-H stretching vibrations of absorbed molecular water [6]. The characteristic peaks at 495 cm −1 and 642 cm −1 are ascribed to the O-Sn-O stretching vibration and the Sn-O stretching vibration, respectively [29].…”

“…Since Fujishima and Honda firstly reported the photolysis of water based on TiO 2 electrodes in 1972 [4], semiconductor materials as photocatalysts have been extensively studied for highly-efficient solar water splitting. Subsequently, many semiconductor materials have been developed as efficient photocatalystys to make the utmost of solar energy for photocatalytic H 2 evolution [5,6].…”