Visible-light-drived high photocatalytic activities of Cu/g-C3N4 photocatalysts for hydrogen production

Abstract

Cu/g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts have been synthesized using a facile method. The composition and morphology of the prepared samples were characterized by a variety of analytical methods. The results indicate that the Cu nanoparticles were uniformly loaded onto the surface of g-C₃N₄. In addition, photocatalytic activity experiments were carried out by investigating H₂ production under visible light irradiation. The results reveal that the composites exhibited excellent performance for H₂ evolution in the absence of a cocatalyst, which demonstrates that Cu nanoparticles could trap photogenerated electrons and act as a cocatalyst effectively. Thus, it was effective in transferring the interfacial photogenerated charge carriers and efficiently enhanced the photocatalytic activity.