Synergetic polarization effect of protonation and Fe-doping on g-C3N4 with enhanced photocatalytic activity†
Abstract
Recently, polarization has emerged as an effective strategy to further boost the charge separation and photocatalytic performance of semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, a protonated and Fe doped nanoporous g-C3N4 (H-CN@Fe) composite is prepared by thermal polymerization & chemical post treatment with HCl. Compared with pristine g-C3N4, the light absorption capacity, the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO), the photocatalytic generation of hydroxyl radicals (HO˙) and the photocurrent performances under visible light irradiation of H-CN@Fe are greatly improved. The enhanced activities of H-CN@Fe can be attributed to the synergetic polarization effect of protonation and Fe-doping, namely, H+ existing in the bulk of g-C3N4 may provide a “highway” for the transport of delocalized electrons and the local polarization field formed by surface Fe species facilitates the separation and transport of charge carriers to surface reactive sites to participate in redox reactions. This study highlights the synergetic polarization effect in boosting the charge transport, separation and photocatalytic activity of semiconductor photocatalysis.