Fabrication of 0D/2D TiO2 Nanodots/g-C3N4 S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for efficient photocatalytic overall water splitting

It is a considerable challenge to design a highly efficient photocatalyst for overall water splitting. Herein, a zerodimension/two-dimension (0D/2D) TiO2 nanodots/g-C3N4 step-scheme (S-scheme) photocatalyst (TOCN) for overall water splitting was prepared by a facile phase interfacial reaction. TOCN showed higher photocatalytic water splitting activity under simulated sunlight, which is about 2.2 and 1.7 times higher than TiO2 nanodots and g-C3N4, respectively. The enhancement of photocatalytic performance can be mainly attributed to the formation of S-scheme heterojunction, rather than normal type-II heterojunction, which could not only improve charge separation but also remain the redox ability of TiO2 and g-C3N4. This work presents a simple method to construct an efficient photocatalyst with S-Scheme heterojunction for overall water splitting.

Automated summary

A highly efficient photocatalyst, TOCN, with S-scheme heterojunction was prepared through a facile phase interfacial reaction, showing higher water splitting activity under sunlight. The formation of S-scheme heterojunction is the key factor in enhancing photocatalytic performance.