Novel 3-D nanoporous graphitic-C3N4 nanosheets with heterostructured modification for efficient visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production

Abstract

Phosphorus-doped g-C₃N₄ (P-C₃N₄) nanosheets with unique 3-D nanoporous structures are synthesized for the first time in this work; such functional porous architectures coupled with BiPO₄ nanorods can exhibit superior photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis diffusive reflectance spectroscopy have been employed to characterize the heterostructured photocatalytic materials. The as-prepared composite photocatalyst show outstanding activity for photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light (λ > 420 nm). The composite photocatalyst with 3.0 wt% BiPO₄ shows an optimum photocatalytic activity with a H₂-production rate of 1110 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹. The enhanced photocatalytic activity for P-C₃N₄ coupled with BiPO₄ comes from the high migration efficiency of photoinduced electrons on the interface of P-C₃N₄ and BiPO₄.