Dual-Defect Modified 2<i>D</i>/2D TiO<sub>2</sub>/g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> Heterojunction for Photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub> Production
Jiahui Wang, Li Li, Xiangju Ye, Yang Yang, Wei Ren, Jingbiao Ge, Sujuan Zhang, Xiuzhen Zheng, Shifu Chen
Abstract
In order to solve the current energy and environmental crisis, the design of efficient catalyst materials is a highly effective solution. In this paper, the photocatalytic performance of TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 composites was improved by regulating their microstructure, such as by constructing nanosheet structures, defect sites, and contact interfaces. Although TiO 2 had limited activity in H 2 production under visible light irradiation, it could serve as an electron acceptor of g-C 3 N 4, and it greatly increased the photocatalytic activity of g-C 3 N 4 . The optimal TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 composite showed good photocatalytic performance (436.3 μmol h –1 g –1 ), which was 23.8 and 3 times that of T400 and g-C 3 N 4, respectively. The increased photocatalytic activity of the TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 composite could be attributed to the higher separation rate of the photogenerated charge carriers (PCCs), more active sites for the reaction, and a lower energy barrier than that of g-C 3 N 4 . Through many characterization and testing technologies, this work deeply studies the relationship between the fine structure and reaction mechanism of 2 D /2D TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4, providing a new direction and understanding for the design and development of 2D materials with highly efficient activity.