Highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production performance for 2D/0D g-C3N4/Zn0.5Cd0.5S with g-C3Nas a transport medium for photogenerated charge carriers

Boyu ZHANG, Dingze LU, Zhennan WANG, Kiran Kumar KONDAMAREDDY, Min ZHOU, Ajit KHOSLA, Xinyu ZHANG, Yuhao ZHANG, Qiong WU, Yimei ZENG, Lihao XIE, Bang ZHAO, Jing LI, Tongtong YANG, Huiqing FAN, Wing Kei HO

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3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Two-dimensional g-C₃N₄ nanosheets are synthesized by high-temperature calcination. The prepared g-C₃N₄ is used further to synthesize a 2D/0D composite series based on g- C₃N₄/Zn0.5Cd0.5S heterojunction composite with varied amounts of g-C₃N₄. The structure, microscopic morphology, photoelectric and photocatalytic performance, and the mechanism for enhancement of photocatalytic performance of the samples are studied through various characterization methods. Microstructural studies revealed that 0D Zn0.5Cd0.5S nanoparticles (ca. 3 ∼ 5 nm) were uniformly dispersed over the surface of the g-C₃N₄ and thus the formation of a heterostructure. The photo-electrochemical test shows that an appropriate amount of g-C₃N₄ modification (10%-C₃N₄/Zn0.5Cd0.5S) can effectively improve photogenerated carriers' separation and transfer efficiency. Besides, the hydrogen production performance of the g-C₃N₄/Zn0.5Cd0.5S samples first increased and then decreased with the amount of g-C₃N₄. The photocatalytic activity of the 10%-C₃N₄/Zn0.5Cd0.5S showed the highest hydrogen production of 3.53 mmol·g−1·h−1, which is 2.8 times than that of pure Zn0.5Cd0.5S (1.26 mmol·g−1·h−1). The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to the introduced g-C₃N₄ that can supply more activity sites and lead to the formation of the heterojunction across the interface, which effectively improves the separation and migration of photogenerated charges. Designing this kind of sustainable, low cost, and efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production method that avoids the application of precious metals will provide a feasible solution to meet the increasing global energy demand and a sustainable future. Copyright © 2022 The Electrochemical Society ("ECS"). Published on behalf of ECS by IOP Publishing Limited.
Original languageEnglish
Article number046512
JournalJournal of The Electrochemical Society
Volume169
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2022

Citation

Zhang, B., Lu, D., Wang, Z., Kondamareddy, K. K., Zhou, M., Khosla, A., . . . Ho, W. (2022). Highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen production performance for 2D/0D g-C₃N₄/Zn₀.₅Cd₀.₅S with g-C₃N₄ as a transport medium for photogenerated charge carriers. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 169(4). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac6452

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