Embedding 1D WO3 Nanotubes into 2D Ultrathin Porous g-C3N4 to Improve the Stability and Efficiency of Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) g-C3N4 has attracted great interest for visible-light-driven H-2 production. Thinning, doping, and reticulation have been demonstrated as effective strategies to improve the efficiency of photocatalysis, but are a challenge for structural stability. Herein, a targeted method was implemented by embedding the one-dimensional (1D) WO3 nanotubes matrix into the frameworks of 2D porous g-C3N4 to form a porous P-doped g-C3N4 nanosheets/WO3 nanotubes (PCNS/WNT) by a flexible electrostatic self-assembly process. As a visible-light-sensitive photocatalyst, the as-prepared hybrids exhibited impressive performance for hydrogen generation, which was attributed to the advantages of synergetic mechanism owing to a higher specific surface area, more reaction active sites, enhanced light absorption, and a better photogenerated carrier separation. Interestingly, the insertion of 1D WO3 nanotubes not only accelerates electrons transfer along the 1D channel but also provides robust support for 2D porous g-C3N4 architecture. As a result, the maximum photocatalytic H-2 evolution rate of PCNW-50 is 547 mu mol g(-1) h(-1), which is about four times higher than that of pure PCNS, and there is no significant reduction of H-2 production after five cycles. Moreover, this 2D/1D PCNS/WNT hybrid was first reported in the area of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and provides ideas for designing novel stable architecture of photocatalyst.

Automated summary

Thinning, doping, and reticulation have been effective strategies to improve the efficiency of photocatalysis, and embedding one-dimensional WO3 nanotubes into the frameworks of two-dimensional porous g-C3N4 has shown impressive performance for hydrogen generation in visible-light-driven H-2 production.