Accelerating the Hole Mobility of Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution via 2D/2D Heterojunction Structural Advantages and Ni(OH)<sub>2</sub> Characteristic
Quanguo Hao, Yanhua Song, Zhao Mo, Jiujun Deng, Jianjian Yi, Wiam El-Alami, Hui Xu, Huaming Li
Abstract
Although photocatalytic hydrogen evolution is significant for solar conversion and energy supply, the photocatalytic efficiency is hampered by the low photoinduced holes mobility. Herein, the 2D Ni(OH) 2 as an operational cocatalyst is integrated with 2D graphitic carbon nitride (2D‐CN) ultrafine to form a 2D/2D heterojunction to improve the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Due to the high mobility attribute of the Ni(OH) 2 holes and the unique 2D/2D heterojunction of Ni(OH) 2 /CN, the specific photocatalyst Ni(OH) 2 /2D‐CN accelerates the photocarrier separation/transport, thereby achieving the breakthrough of continuous photocatalytic hydrogen evolution without using Pt cocatalyst and sacrificial agent. Above all, the as‐obtained Ni(OH) 2 /2D‐CN exhibits a hydrogen evolution rate of 921.4 μmol h −1 g −1 with an external quantum efficiency of 5.21% at 400 nm using 10% triethanolamine as a sacrificial agent. The work provides a new research approach for the catalytic conversion of energy.