Hierarchical meso/macro-porous TiO2/graphitic carbon nitride nanofibers with enhanced hydrogen evolution

Constructing a hierarchical structure with tunable pore size is a practical method to improve the capacity of photocatalytic hydrogen production of catalysts. In this work, titanium dioxide/graphitic carbon nitride (TiO2/g-C3N4) nanofibers with hierarchical meso/macro-porous structure are fabricated by combining a one-step electrospinning method and calcination process, in which the hierarchical meso/macro-porous structure is developed by introducing polyvinylpyrrolidone and liquid paraffin into the electrospinning solution. Comprehensive characterizations reveal that the hierarchical meso/macro-porous TiO2/g-C3N4 nanofibers have improved ultraviolet-visible light absorption, the separation efficiency of carriers, and photocatalytic performance. The photocatalytic H-2 evolution is up to 1202 mu mol g(-1) in 7 h, which is better than those of corresponding TiO2/g-C3N4 photocatalysts previously reported. This work provides a new strategy to build a hierarchical meso/macro-porous nanofiber and an ideal solution to improve the hydrogen production of TiO2/g-C3N4. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

Constructing a hierarchical meso/macro-porous structure for TiO2/g-C3N4 nanofibers improves light absorption, carrier separation efficiency, and photocatalytic performance, leading to a higher H-2 evolution rate. This work presents a new strategy for enhancing hydrogen production and provides an ideal solution for TiO2/g-C3N4 photocatalysts.