Issue 32, 2020

Au nanoparticle-embedded, nitrogen-deficient hollow mesoporous carbon nitride spheres for nitrogen photofixation

Abstract

Ammonia, one of the most important chemicals and an efficient energy carrier, is industrially synthesized by the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process. Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation under ambient conditions provides an intriguing approach for the conversion of atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia. Herein we report a plasmonic hybrid catalyst composed of Au nanoparticles uniformly embedded in the mesopores of nitrogen-deficient hollow carbon nitride spheres for efficient nitrogen photofixation. The nitrogen vacancies in the carbon nitride spheres, serving as the sites for nitrogen chemisorption and activation, capture photoexcited electrons originating from the carbon nitride spheres and the plasmon resonance of the embedded Au nanoparticles for the reduction of nitrogen to ammonia. The designed structure can maximize the utilization efficiency of the plasmonic effect of the Au nanoparticles, as well as the nitrogen activation effect of the nitrogen vacancies in the carbon nitride spheres, therefore promoting the photoreduction of nitrogen. The optima Au-embedded carbon nitride spheres achieve an ammonia production rate of 783.4 μmol h−1 gcat−1 under visible light. The interfacial plasmon-induced charge separation endows the hybrid photocatalyst with the capability of simultaneous production of ammonia and oxygen with a solar-to-ammonia conversion efficiency of 0.032% under simulated sunlight.

Graphical abstract: Au nanoparticle-embedded, nitrogen-deficient hollow mesoporous carbon nitride spheres for nitrogen photofixation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 4月 2020
Accepted
19 5月 2020
First published
19 5月 2020

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 16218-16231

Au nanoparticle-embedded, nitrogen-deficient hollow mesoporous carbon nitride spheres for nitrogen photofixation

Y. Guo, J. Yang, D. Wu, H. Bai, Z. Yang, J. Wang and B. Yang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, 8, 16218 DOI: 10.1039/D0TA03793A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements