Issue 37, 2016

Efficient visible-light photocatalytic H2 evolution over metal-free g-C3N4 co-modified with robust acetylene black and Ni(OH)2 as dual co-catalysts

Abstract

In this work, a novel g-C3N4/acetylene black (AB)/Ni(OH)2 ternary composite photocatalyst with dual robust electron co-catalysts was successfully synthetized using a facile two-step strategy: ultrasonic dispersion treatment and a subsequent precipitation process. The photocatalytic H2-production activity over the composite photocatalyst was also evaluated using an aqueous solution containing triethanolamine under visible light (λ ≥ 420 nm). For the first time, it was revealed that the robust AB can be utilized as a co-catalyst to significantly enhance the photocatalytic H2-evolution activity of g-C3N4. The results also demonstrated that the ternary g-C3N4/AB/Ni(OH)2 nanocomposite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic H2-evolution activity as compared to bulk g-C3N4 and binary hybrids. The g-C3N4–0.5% AB–1.0% Ni(OH)2 (weight ratio) composite shows the highest H2 evolution rate of 240 μmol g−1 h−1 under visible light irradiation, which is 320, 100 and 3.31 times higher than that of pure g-C3N4, g-C3N4–0.5% AB and g-C3N4–1.0% Ni(OH)2, respectively. It is believed that the excellent synergetic effect between the robust AB and Ni(OH)2 as dual electron co-catalysts on the surface of g-C3N4 can achieve the effectively promoted separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs and enhance the following H2-evolution kinetics, thus resulting in a significant enhancement of the photocatalytic H2 evolution activity over g-C3N4. It is expected that the combination of nano-carbons such as AB and other earth-abundant co-catalysts can become a general strategy to improve the H2-evolution activity over various kinds of conventional semiconductors.

Graphical abstract: Efficient visible-light photocatalytic H2 evolution over metal-free g-C3N4 co-modified with robust acetylene black and Ni(OH)2 as dual co-catalysts

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Feb 2016
Accepted
15 Mar 2016
First published
16 Mar 2016

RSC Adv., 2016,6, 31497-31506

Efficient visible-light photocatalytic H2 evolution over metal-free g-C3N4 co-modified with robust acetylene black and Ni(OH)2 as dual co-catalysts

G. Bi, J. Wen, X. Li, W. Liu, J. Xie, Y. Fang and W. Zhang, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 31497 DOI: 10.1039/C6RA03118H

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