An in situ mediator-free route to fabricate Cu2O/g-C3N4 type-II heterojunctions for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic {H2} generation
By Ji, Cong; Yin, Su-Na; Sun, Shasha; Yang, Shengyang
Published in Applied Surface Science
2018
Abstract
Cu2O nanoparticles doped g-C3N4 are synthesized via an in situ method and investigated in detail by {IR} techniques, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The as-prepared Cu2O/g-C3N4 hybrids demonstrate enhanced photocatalytic activity toward hydrogen generation compared to pure bulk g-C3N4, the effect of Cu2O content on the rate of visible light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reveals the optimal hydrogen evolution rate can reach 33.2 ?mol h?1 g?1, which is about 4 times higher that of pure g-C3N4. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the improved separation and transfer of photogenerated electron