Solar-to-fuels conversion over In2O3/g-C3N4 hybrid photocatalysts

We have achieved in-situ growth of In2O3 nanocrystals onto the sheet-like g-C3N4 surface. The resulting In2O3-g-C3N4 hybrid structures exhibit considerable improvement on the photocatalytic activities for H-2 generation and CO2 reduction. The enhanced activities are attributed to the interfacial transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes between g-C3N4 and In2O3, leading to effective charge separation on both parts. Further studies by transient PL spectroscopy confirm that the In2O3-g-C3N4 heterojunctions remarkably promote the charge transfer efficiency, thereby increase the charge carrier lifetime for the photocatalytic reactions. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.