International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.43, No.10, 4845-4855, 2018
WO3/g-C3N4 two-dimensional composites for visible-light driven photocatalytic hydrogen production
WO3/g-C3N4 two-dimensional (2D) composite photocatalysts were prepared through a simple hydrothermal method followed by a post thermal treatment. The H-2 generation activity of these photocatalysts in the visible light was evaluated. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy et al. These results show that the orthorhombic-phase WO3 nanoparticles with a grain size from 5 to 80 nm were successfully anchored on g-C3N4 nanosheets surface with intimate contact. Furthermore, the charge separation mechanisms of photo-generated charge carriers of the 2D WO3/g-C3N4 photocatalysts were further studied by photoelectrochemical response and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The result shows that the 2D WO3/g-C3N4 photocatalyst with 10 wt% WO3 possesses the maximum photocatalytic performance for H-2 generation, as high as of 1853 mu mol h(-1) g(-1), which is about 6.5 times higher than that of bare g-C3N4, indicating the fast injection of interface interaction between 2D g-C3N4 and WO3. The increased photocatalytic performance of the composite photocatalyst can be attributed to the enhanced absorption of visible light, the higher photo-generated electrons and holes separation efficiency and low recombination rate of electrons and holes generated by photoexcitation. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Graphitic carbon nitride;Tungsten trioxide;Photocatalysts;Hydrogen production;Z-scheme photocatalyst