K-N Bridge-Mediated charge separation in hollow g-C3N4 Frameworks: A bifunctional photocatalysts towards efficient H2 and H2O2 production

Xiaoli Jin; Huiqing Wang; Xiongtao Lv; Qing Lan; Teng Ge; Lin Guo; Xin Li; Hongxian Sun; Chenghua Ding; Yuwei Guo; Haiquan Xie; Liqun Ye

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.181

K-N Bridge-Mediated charge separation in hollow g-C₃N₄ Frameworks: A bifunctional photocatalysts towards efficient H₂ and H₂O₂ production

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Dec 15;652(Pt B):1545-1553. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.181. Epub 2023 Aug 30.

Authors

Xiaoli Jin¹, Huiqing Wang¹, Xiongtao Lv¹, Qing Lan¹, Teng Ge¹, Lin Guo¹, Xin Li², Hongxian Sun¹, Chenghua Ding¹, Yuwei Guo¹, Haiquan Xie³, Liqun Ye⁴

Affiliations

¹ Engineering Technology Research Center of Henan Province for Solar Catalysis, College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang, 473061, PR China.
² Engineering Technology Research Center of Henan Province for Solar Catalysis, College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang, 473061, PR China. Electronic address: lixin610207@126.com.
³ Engineering Technology Research Center of Henan Province for Solar Catalysis, College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang, 473061, PR China. Electronic address: Xie-hq@163.com.
⁴ College of Materials and Chemical Engineering Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nonmetallic Crystalline and Energy Conversion Materials, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, PR China. Electronic address: lqye@ctgu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37660611
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.181

Abstract

The development of bifunctional photocatalysts for enhancing hydrogen (H₂) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production from water is essential in addressing environmental and energy issues. However, the practical implementation of photocatalytic technology is still constrained by the inadequate separation of photo-generated charge carriers. Herein, potassium (K) atoms are introduced into the interlayers of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) with a hollow hexagonal structure (K-TCN) and are coordinated with N atoms in adjacent layers. The presence of K-N coordination serves as a layer bridge, facilitating the separation of charge carriers. The hollow hexagonal structure reduces the distance over which photogenerated electrons migrate to the surface, thereby enhancing the reaction kinetics. Consequently, the optimized K-TCN exhibits a dramatically improved photocatalytic H₂ (941.6 μmol g^-1h^-1 with platinum (Pt) as the cocatalyst) and H₂O₂ (347.6 μmol g^-1h^-1) generation as compared to hollow g-C₃N₄ (TCN) and bulk g-C₃N₄ nanosheet (CN) without K-N bridge under visible light irradiation. The unique design holds promising potential for developing highly efficient bifunctional photocatalysts towards producing renewable fuels and value-added chemicals.

Keywords: Bifunctional photocatalyst; Carrier separation; H(2) and H(2)O(2) production; Hollow structure; K–N bridge.