NiCoP/g-C3N4 nanocomposites for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production from seawater

Abstract

The NiCoP/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite was developed by integrating g-C₃N₄ with the NiCoP cocatalyst, resulting in a substantial enhancement in hydrogen production compared to pure g-C₃N₄. Among the different nanocomposites tested, the 20% NiCoP/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite exhibited the highest hydrogen production rate of 1827.4 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ in 3 wt% NaCl solution, outperforming pure g-C₃N₄ by 181 times. Additionally, 20% NiCoP/g-C₃N₄ demonstrated robust photocatalytic activity in natural seawater, with a hydrogen production rate of 1290.0 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, showcasing its potential for seawater splitting. The cyclic experiment results demonstrate that 20% NiCoP/g-C₃N₄ exhibits excellent stability and the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) for H₂ generation is 3.87% under 420 nm monochromatic light irradiation. The enhanced performance is attributed to the formation of an ohmic junction between NiCoP and g-C₃N₄, promoting efficient charge separation and transfer, thus reducing charge recombination. This study offers valuable insights into improving energy conversion and hydrogen evolution efficiency, highlighting the feasibility of NiCoP/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites for solar-driven hydrogen production from seawater.