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Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets Decorated with Zinc-Cadmium Sulfide for Type-II Heterojunctions for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

ABSTRACT: In this study, we fabricated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets with embedded ZnCdS nanoparticles to form a type II heterojunction using a facile synthesis approach, and we used them for photocatalytic H₂ production. The morphologies, chemical structure, and optical properties of the obtained g-C₃N₄-ZnCdS samples were characterized by a battery of techniques, such as TEM, XRD, XPS, and UV-Vis DRS. The as-synthesized g-C₃N₄-ZnCdS photocatalyst exhibited the highest hydrogen production rate of 108.9 μmol·g^-1·h^-1 compared to the individual components (g-C₃N₄: 13.5 μmol·g^-1·h^-1, ZnCdS: 45.3 μmol·g^-1·h^-1). The improvement of its photocatalytic activity can mainly be attributed to the heterojunction formation and resulting synergistic effect, which provided more channels for charge carrier migration and reduced the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. Meanwhile, the g-C₃N₄-ZnCdS heterojunction catalyst also showed a higher stability over a number of repeated cycles. Our work provides insight into using g-C₃N₄ and metal sulfide in combination so as to develop low-cost, efficient, visible-light-active hydrogen production photocatalysts.

SUBMITTER: Yousaf AB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10535485 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets Decorated with Zinc-Cadmium Sulfide for Type-II Heterojunctions for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Yousaf Ammar Bin AB Imran Muhammad M Farooq Muhammad M Kausar Samaira S Yasmeen Samina S Kasak Peter P

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) 20230921 18

In this study, we fabricated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets with embedded ZnCdS nanoparticles to form a type II heterojunction using a facile synthesis approach, and we used them for photocatalytic H2 production. The morphologies, chemical structure, and optical properties of the obtained g-C3N4-ZnCdS samples were characterized by a battery of techniques, such as TEM, XRD, XPS, and UV-Vis DRS. The as-synthesized < ...[more]

PMID: 37764638

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Project description:Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a metal-free photocatalyst used for visible-driven hydrogen production, CO2 reduction, and organic pollutant degradation. In addition to the most attractive feature of visible photoactivity, its other benefits include thermal and photochemical stability, cost-effectiveness, and simple and easy-scale-up synthesis. However, its performance is still limited due to its low absorption at longer wavelengths in the visible range, and high charge recombination. In addition, the exfoliated nanosheets easily aggregate, causing the reduction in specific surface area, and thus its photoactivity. Herein, we propose the use of ultra-thin porous g-C3N4 nanosheets to overcome these limitations and improve its photocatalytic performance. Through the optimization of a novel multi-step synthetic protocol, based on an initial thermal treatment, the use of nitric acid (HNO3), and an ultrasonication step, we were able to obtain very thin and well-tuned material that yielded exceptional photodegradation performance of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation, without the need for any co-catalyst. About 96% of MO was degraded in as short as 30 min, achieving a normalized apparent reaction rate constant (k) of 1.1 × 10-2 min-1mg-1. This represents the highest k value ever reported using C3N4-based photocatalysts for MO degradation, based on our thorough literature search. Ultrasonication in acid not only prevents agglomeration of g-C3N4 nanosheets but also tunes pore size distribution and plays a key role in this achievement. We also studied their performance in a photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), achieving a production of 1842 µmol h-1 g-1. Through a profound analysis of all the samples' structure, morphology, and optical properties, we provide physical insight into the improved performance of our optimized porous g-C3N4 sample for both photocatalytic reactions. This research may serve as a guide for improving the photocatalytic activity of porous two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors under visible light irradiation.

Dataset Information

Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets Decorated with Zinc-Cadmium Sulfide for Type-II Heterojunctions for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Publications

Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets Decorated with Zinc-Cadmium Sulfide for Type-II Heterojunctions for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

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