Two-Dimensional Layered Co(OH)2/g-C3N4/Ni(OH)2 Ternary Nanocomposites for Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic H2-Production Activity

Two-dimensional (2D) layered nanocomposite provides a surface-to-surface heterojunction, which is an effective way to improve the photocatalytic performance because larger contact areas can promote the separation rate of interfacial charge carriers. In this study, Co(OH)(2)/g-C3N4/Ni(OH)(2) 2D layered photocatalysts have been successfully synthesized through a simple precipitation-hydrothermal method. The composite achieves a high H-2-production rate of 899 mu mol.h(-1).g(-1), which exceeds the rate of samples only coupled with Co(OH)(2) and Ni(OH)(2) by 4.0 and 1.9 times, respectively. In addition, the activity is even higher than that of the optimized Pt-g-C3N4 sample (1 wt. % Pt-C). The characterization results reveal the close contact of g-C3N4 and Ni/Co hydroxides, and such a face-to-face contact can greatly improve the interfacial charge-transfer rate, resulting in a high photocatalytic performance. This work demonstrates a simple way to enhance the photocatalytic H-2 production of g-C3N4 under the cooperative effect of Co(OH)(2) and Ni(OH)(2) and provides novel insights into constructing other 2D ternary heterostructure nanocomposites.

Automated summary

This study successfully synthesized Co(OH)(2)/g-C3N4/Ni(OH)(2) 2D layered photocatalysts with high photocatalytic performance, achieving a high H-2 production rate. The composite exhibits higher activity compared to samples only coupled with Co(OH)(2) and Ni(OH)(2), and even outperforms the optimized Pt-g-C3N4 sample.