Highly efficient photoelectrochemical anticorrosion performance of C3N4@ZnO composite with quasi-shell–core structure on 304 stainless steel
Abstract
Carbon nitride@zinc oxide (C3N4@ZnO) composite with a quasi-shell–core structure was prepared in this work. The coating of C3N4 on ZnO significantly increases the photoelectrochemical anticorrosion performance of ZnO. When the amount of C3N4 added is 1 wt%, the C3N4@ZnO composite can provide the best photoelectrochemical anticorrosion capability for 304 stainless steel. This improved performance is attributed to the formation of an effective heterojunction electric field on the interface between C3N4 and ZnO, which improves the separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs, increases the lifetime of the photoinduced electrons, and enhances the photoelectrochemical anticorrosion performance of ZnO.