Single-Atom Pd–N3 Sites on Carbon-Deficient g-C3N4 for Photocatalytic H2 Evolution
Guimei Liu, Haiqin Lv, Yubin Zeng, Mingzhe Yuan, Qingguo Meng, Yuanhao Wang, Chuanyi Wang
Abstract
Abstract Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution is an attractive field for future environment-friendly energy. However, fast recombination of photogenerated charges severely inhibits hydrogen efficiency. Single-atom cocatalysts such as Pt have emerged as an effective method to enhance the photocatalytic activity by introduction of active sites and boosting charge separation with low-coordination environment. Herein, we demonstrated a new strategy to develop a highly active Pd single atom in carbon-deficient g-C 3 N 4 with a unique coordination. The single-atom Pd–N 3 sites constructed by oil bath heating and photoreduction process were confirmed by HADDF-STEM and XPS measurements. Introduction of single-atom Pd greatly improved the separation and transportation of charge carriers, leading to a longer lifespan for consequent reactions. The obtained single-atom Pd loaded on the carbon-deficient g–C 3 N 4 showed excellent photocatalytic activity in hydrogen production with about 24 and 4 times higher activity than that of g–C 3 N 4 and nano-sized Pd on the same support, respectively. This work provides a new insight on the design of single-atom catalyst.