Light-assisted preparation of heterostructured g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods arrays for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen performance

The type II heterostructured g-C3N4/ZnO nanorods arrays (NRAs) with intimate interface connection were successfully synthesized via a light-assisted method for photocatalytic H-2 production. Such type-II heterojunction between g-C3N4 and ZnO not only promotes the charge separation and transport but also extends light absorption to the visible light region. In addition, the high physicochemical stability of g-C3N4 layer keeps ZnO from photocorrosion during the reaction. Consequently, the heterostructured g-C3N4/ZnO NRAs demonstrate enhanced photocatalytic H-2 performance. In particular, the highest photocatalytic activity enhancement of g-C3N4/ZnO heterostructure is 3.3 times that of ZnO NRAs with a good stability of 85% retention rate after 5 cycles. Our work here presents an effective strategy to construct heterojunction between g-C3N4 and metal oxide semiconductors for significantly enhanced photocatalytic H-2 production.