Tensile Strain in Tin Oxide Clusters Stabilized by C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> for Highly Efficient Visible Light-Driven H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Production
Miao He, Xiang Zhang, Shaojia Song, Jiasai Yao, Fang Zhao, Weiwei Wang, Xilin Yuan, Chenyu Li, Huan Li, Pangen Li, Weiyu Song, Zhenxing Li
Abstract
Photocatalytic synthesis of H2O2, as a potential alternative to the industrial anthraquinone process, does not require additional energy input and is a nontoxic and pollution-free process, which has attracted widespread attention. Herein, we successfully anchored the SnO2 clusters into the g-C3N4 through the Sn–N bond (SnO2@g-C3N4) as a highly efficient photocatalyst for visible light-driven H2O2 production. Because of the existence of the Sn–N bond, the thickness of the SnO2@g-C3N4 material is thinner, and the lattice spacing of SnO2 is stretched, achieving an excellent photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production rate of 1021.15 μmol g–1 h–1, which is 58-fold more than that of the original g-C3N4. Moreover, the turnover frequency of SnO2@g-C3N4 (1.7 min–1) has a huge advantage of 57 times compared with that of the original g-C3N4. The outstanding photocatalytic activity is attributed to the lattice tensile of SnO2 clusters in SnO2@g-C3N4, leading to the decreased d-band center, which can promote the OOH* to HOOH* transformation as the rate-determining step. Meanwhile, the SnO2@g-C3N4 can improve the electron migration from bulk to the catalyst surface, as well as the electron separation, which also plays an important role in activity improvement. This work provides a promising photocatalyst for efficient visible light-driven generation of H2O2.