Journal
NANO RESEARCH
Volume 11, Issue 4, Pages 2295-2309Publisher
TSINGHUA UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-017-1853-3
Keywords
graphitic carbon nitrides; nanotubes; alkali metal doping; photocatalytic hydrogen production; hydrothermal/thermopolymerization processes; two-step synthesis
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Funding
- Japan Science and Technology Agency
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51627803, 51402348, 11474333, 91433205, 51421002, 51372270]
- Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Sodium-doped carbon nitride nanotubes (Na-x-CNNTs) were prepared by a green and simple two-step method and applied in photocatalytic water splitting for the first time. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) element mapping and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements confirm that sodium was successfully introduced in the carbon nitride nanotubes (CNNTs), and the intrinsic structure of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was also maintained in the products. Moreover, the porous structure of the CNNTs leads to relatively large specific surface areas. Photocatalytic tests indicate that the porous tubular structure and Na+ doping can synergistically enhance the hydrogen evolution rate under visible light (lambda > 420 nm) irradiation in the presence of sacrificial agents, leading to a hydrogen evolution rate as high as 143 mu mol.h(-1) (20 mg catalyst). Moreover, other alkali metal-doped CNNTs, such as Li-x-CNNTs and K-x-CNNTs, were tested; both materials were found to enhance the hydrogen evolution rate, but to a lower extent compared with the Na-x-CNNTs. This highlights the general applicability of the present method to prepare alkali metal-doped CNNTs; a preliminary mechanism for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction in the Na-x-CNNTs is also proposed.
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