Solar light-driven photoelectrocatalytic and photocatalytic applications based on flower-like NV-g-C3N5@VS2 heterojunctions

Abstract

In this work, a novel flower-shaped NV-g-C₃N₅@VS₂ heterojunction was prepared by hydrothermal in situ synthesis using NV-g-C₃N₅ as the matrix and thioacetamide as the precursor. The prepared heterojunction showed a flower-like and layered structure, which widened the visible light absorption range and facilitated the usage of visible light. Under visible light irradiation, the NV-g-C₃N₅@VS₂ heterojunction exhibited excellent photoelectrocatalytic nitrogen reduction activity with an ammonia yield of 49.26 μg h⁻¹ mg⁻¹ in an electrolyte solution saturated with N₂. Moreover, the NV-g-C₃N₅@VS₂ heterojunction achieved outstanding photocatalytic degradation activity. The photocatalytic degradation rate of Rhodamine (RhB) reached 95% in 35 min under visible light irradiation. More importantly, the catalyst displayed good reusability and stability after four cycling runs for the photodegradation of MB. The prepared catalyst showed excellent photocatalytic universality and was also applied to efficiently degrade organic pollutants such as methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB). Therefore, solar light-driven photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic applications based on the NV-g-C₃N₅@VS₂ heterojunction are expected to pave a new way for fertilizers, energy utilization, and environmental remediation.