Red phosphor/g-C3N4 heterojunction with enhanced photocatalytic activities for solar fuels production

We report a composite photocatalyst by coupling red phosphor (r-P) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). The introduction of g-C3N4 onto r-P surface led to considerable improvement on the photocatalytic activity for H-2 production and CO2 conversion into valuable hydrocarbon fuel (CH4) in the presence of water vapor. The enhancement could be attributed to the effective separation of photogenerated electrons and holes across the r-P/g-C3N4 heterojunction. Owing to the advantages of non-toxicity, low cost and abundance in nature, this active heterostructural r-P/g-C3N4 photocatalyst would have great potential for efficient solar fuels production. (C)2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.