Insights into the light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride decorated with Pt or Ru nanoparticles†
a
Arne
Thomas,
d
Xavier
Sala,
a
Mirco
Natali,
*c
Jordi
García-Antón
*a
and
Minoo
Tasbihi
*b
Abstract
Ru or Pt nanoparticles have been prepared following the organometallic approach and deposited onto the surface of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-CN). Three different Ru-based samples have also been compared to investigate the effect of 4-phenylpyridine as a stabilizing agent. The photocatalytic performance towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been tested showing that all hybrid systems clearly outperform the photocatalytic activity of bare mpg-CN. In particular, Pt-decorated mpg-CN yields the largest H2 production upon visible-light irradiation (870 μmol h−1 g−1, TOF = 14.1 h−1, TON = 339 after 24 h) when compared with the Ru-based samples (137–155 μmol h−1 g−1, TOFs between 2.3–2.7 h−1, TONs between 54–57 after 24 h). Long-term photochemical tests (up to 65 h irradiation) show also an improved stability of the Pt-based samples over the Ru counterpart. Photophysical experiments aimed at rationalizing the photocatalytic performance of the different hybrid systems elucidate that the enhanced activity of the Pt-decorated mpg-CN over the Ru-based analogues arises from improved electron transfer kinetics from mpg-CN to the metal nanoparticles.
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