4.8 Article

Onion-liked carbon-embedded graphitic carbon nitride for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and dye degradation

Journal

APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
Volume 308, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.121216

Keywords

Onion-liked carbon; Graphitic carbon nitride photocatalyst; Sp(2)/sp(3) ratio; Hydrogen evolution

Funding

  1. National Natural Sci-ence Foundation of China [21874143]
  2. International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences [GJHZ1818]

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Limited light absorption and low charge separation rate in graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalyst are overcome by embedding onion-liked carbon (OLC) structures in the matrix. The highly hybridized and electrically conductive OLC broadens visible light absorption, narrows the band gap of g-C3N4, and promotes the separation of photo-generated carriers. The g-C3N4/OLC composites show significantly increased hydrogen evolution rate and efficient degradation of RhB, demonstrating the potential of OLC in designing carbon-based photocatalysts for solar energy conversion and pollutant degradation.
Limited light absorption and low charge separation rate are the main obstacles for graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based photocatalyst. Here, onion-liked carbon (OLC), a carbon nanostructure with multilayer graphitic shells, was embedded into the g-C3N4 matrix to enhance the photocatalytic performance. Due to its high degree of sp(2) hybridization and good electrical conductivity, the OLC can broaden visible light adsorption, narrow the band gap of g-C3N4, and serve as electron acceptor to promote the separation of photo-generated carrier. Thus, the g-C3N4/OLC composites show an increased hydrogen evolution rate of 3086 mu mol g (1) h (1), 4.44 times higher than pure g-C3N4. Furthermore, the H-2 evolution rate is highly related to the sp(2)/sp(3) ratio of OLC. In addition, efficient photocatalytic degradation of RhB was also achieved (0.1171 min (1)). The photocatalytic mechanism was then elucidated through a series of spectrochemical and photochemical test. This work demonstrates the significant applicability of OLC in designing carbon-based photocatalyst with highly-efficient photocatalytic activity towards future solar energy conversion and pollutants degeneration.

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