Improving the photocatalytic activity of benzyl alcohol oxidation by Z-scheme SnS/g-C3N4

Abstract

Until now, the effective photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with high selectivity is still a great challenge. It is reported that the carrier separation rate is the key factor affecting the photocatalytic activity, and the formation of heterojunction is an effective solution to hinder electron–hole recombination. SnS with a narrow band gap has excellent light absorption performance, which covers the whole visible light region. After compounding with g-C₃N₄, the light utilization of the SnS/g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst is effectively improved. In addition, a Z-scheme heterojunction is formed between SnS and g-C₃N₄ due to the matched energy levels, which accelerates the separation of electrons and holes and improves the conversion of benzyl alcohol effectively. In this paper, the charge separation is accelerated to promote the reaction by the in situ construction of Z-scheme heterojunctions; the preparation method, reaction mechanism and energy level structure of the photocatalyst can play a certain guiding role in the organic conversion reaction.