Photocatalytic and Photoelectrocatalytic Water Splitting by Porous g-C3N4 Nanosheets for Hydrogen Generation

electrochemical water splitting is an ultimate source of hydrogen generation for tackling the ongoing fuel crisis. In this context, we nontoxic semiconductor through the polycondensation method. In the present work, we have discussed the major changes in the morphology of g-C3N4 after acidic exfoliation thoroughly by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. The chemical purity of the assynthesized materials was analyzed by using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The specific surface area and porosity of the materials were obtained through Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area studies. Besides this, the electronic structure of g-C3N4 was discussed through X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES), and the elemental composition was determined by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Moreover, the dependency of the sacrificial agents of g-C3N4 was discussed in detail by using sodium sulfide/sodium sulfite (Na2S/Na2SO3) and triethanolamine (TEOA). It was observed that exfoliated g-C3N4 shows remarkable hydrogen evolution in the presence of TEOA and an efficient quantum yield up to 12%, which is 1.7-fold higher than in the presence of Na2S/Na2SO3 (7%). Furthermore, to harness most of the solar light spectrum, a high current density and improved Faradaic efficiency during the photoelectrocatalysis have been reported.

Automated summary

This study discusses the morphological changes of g-C3N4 after acidic exfoliation, analyzes the chemical purity of the synthesized materials, and investigates the electronic structure and elemental composition of g-C3N4. The dependency of the sacrificial agents of g-C3N4 is also discussed. The experimental results show that exfoliated g-C3N4 exhibits remarkable hydrogen evolution in the presence of TEOA.