Amorphous Co3S4 nanoparticle-modified tubular g-C3N4 forms step-scheme heterojunctions for photocatalytic hydrogen production

Yuanpeng Wang; Xuqiang Hao; Lijun Zhang; Zhiliang Jin; Tiansheng Zhao

doi:10.1039/D0CY02009E

Amorphous Co₃S₄ nanoparticle-modified tubular g-C₃N₄ forms step-scheme heterojunctions for photocatalytic hydrogen production†

Yuanpeng Wang,^abc Xuqiang Hao,^abc Lijun Zhang,^abc Zhiliang Jin

*^abcd and Tiansheng Zhao

*^d

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, P.R. China
E-mail: zl-jin@nun.edu.cn

^b Ningxia Key Laboratory of Solar Chemical Conversion Technology, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, P.R. China

^c Key Laboratory for Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Ethnic Affairs Commission, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, P.R. China

^d State Key Laboratory of High-efficiency Utilization of Coal and Green Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, P.R. China
E-mail: zhaots@nxu.edu.cn

Abstract

An effective method to reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs was developed by the construction of heterojunctions with rationally designed photocatalysts having a matched band structure. Herein, g-C₃N₄ hexagonal tubes possessing a lower conduction band were coupled with Co₃S₄ ultra-fine nanoparticles having relatively higher positions for their conduction band. A step-scheme heterojunction was constructed between these two materials, and through this heterojunction, the spatial charge separation was boosted. The boosted spatial charge separation led to more useful electrons with a higher reduction ability that participated in a photocatalytic H₂ evolution reaction. The Co₃S₄ ultra-fine nanoparticles act as a mirror to repeatedly scatter and reflect incident light and thus enhance light utilization, and they also accelerate the spatial charge separation. The photocatalytic H₂ evolution activity of the composite catalyst reached 2120 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which was 176 times higher than that of pristine g-C₃N₄ tubes. A series of characteristics were determined to investigate the interaction that occurred between the g-C₃N₄ hexagonal tubes and the Co₃S₄ ultra-fine nanoparticles, and to study the mechanism of the formed step-scheme. This work will guide the design of step-scheme heterojunction-based photocatalysts to produce H₂ from photocatalytic water splitting.

This article is part of the themed collection: Photocatalysis

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Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CY02009E
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 13 Oct 2020
Accepted: 18 Nov 2020
First published: 18 Nov 2020

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Catal. Sci. Technol., 2021,11, 943-955

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Amorphous Co₃S₄ nanoparticle-modified tubular g-C₃N₄ forms step-scheme heterojunctions for photocatalytic hydrogen production

Y. Wang, X. Hao, L. Zhang, Z. Jin and T. Zhao, Catal. Sci. Technol., 2021, 11, 943 DOI: 10.1039/D0CY02009E

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