Insights into hybrid TiO2-g-C3N4 heterostructure composite decorated with rGO sheet: A highly efficient photocatalyst for boosted solar fuel (hydrogen) generation

Herein, we couple graphene with TiO2-g-C3N4 heterostructured material through a one-pot solvothermal approach for efficient solar fuel generation. The 2 wt.% rGO/TiO2-g-C3N4 (2-RTC) photocatalyst with optimized loadings (40 wt.% TiO2 and 2 wt.% rGO) exhibits a superior solar fuel (H-2) generation rate of 27,254.4 mu molg(-1)h(-1), an approximately 163-enhancement compared to bare g-C3N4, which is providentially higher than many already reported g-C3N4-based photocatalysts. Besides, the H-2 generated in this study is the highest H-2 produced so far with the combination of graphene, TiO2, and g-C3N4 materials. Additionally, the optimized photocatalyst presents a solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency of 3.868% higher than many already reported results.

Automated summary

In this study, we have successfully coupled graphene with TiO2-g-C3N4 heterostructured material for efficient solar fuel generation using a one-pot solvothermal approach. The optimized 2 wt.% rGO/TiO2-g-C3N4 (2-RTC) photocatalyst with 40 wt.% TiO2 and 2 wt.% rGO shows a significantly higher solar fuel (H-2) generation rate of 27,254.4 μmolg(-1)h(-1) compared to bare g-C3N4 and also exhibits the highest H-2 production among reported photocatalysts combining graphene, TiO2, and g-C3N4 materials. Additionally, this optimized photocatalyst achieves a solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency of 3.868%, surpassing many previously reported results.