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Rahman MZ, Raziq F, Zhang H, Gascon J. Key Strategies for Enhancing H 2 Production in Transition Metal Oxide Based Photocatalysts. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202305385. [PMID: 37530435 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202305385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Transition metal oxides (TMOs) were one of the first photocatalysts used to produce hydrogen from water using solar energy. Despite the emergence of many other genres of photocatalysts over the years, TMO photocatalysts remain dominant due to their easy synthesis and unique physicochemical properties. Various strategies have been developed to enhance the photocatalytic activity of TMOs, but the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency of TMO photocatalysts is still very low (<2 %), which is far below the targeted STH of 10 % for commercial viability. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of several widely used strategies, including oxygen defects control, doping, establishing interfacial junctions, and phase-facet-morphology engineering, that have been adopted to improve TMO photocatalysts. By critically evaluating these strategies and providing a roadmap for future research directions, this article serves as a valuable resource for researchers, students, and professionals seeking to develop efficient energy materials for green energy solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Z Rahman
- KAUST Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fazal Raziq
- KAUST Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Huabin Zhang
- KAUST Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jorge Gascon
- KAUST Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
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2
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Wang Q, Zhang G, Xing W, Pan Z, Zheng D, Wang S, Hou Y, Wang X. Bottom-up Synthesis of Single-Crystalline Poly (Triazine Imide) Nanosheets for Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202307930. [PMID: 37463869 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202307930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Poly (triazine imide) (PTI/Li+ Cl- ), one of the crystalline versions of polymeric carbon nitrides, holds great promise for photocatalytic overall water splitting. In principle, the photocatalytic activity of PTI/Li+ Cl- is closely related to the morphology, which could be reasonably tailored by the modulation of the polycondensation process. Herein, we demonstrate that the hexagonal prisms of PTI/Li+ Cl- could be converted to hexagonal nanosheets by adjusting the binary eutectic salts from LiCl/KCl or NaCl/LiCl to ternary LiCl/KCl/NaCl. Results reveal that the extension of in-plane conjugation is preferred, when the polymerisation was performed in the presence of ternary eutectic salts. The hexagonal nanosheets bears longer lifetimes of charge carriers than that of hexagonal prisms due to lower intensity of structure defects and shorter hopping distance of charge carriers along the stacking direction of triazine nanosheets. The optimized hexagonal nanosheets exhibits a record apparent quantum yield value of 25 % (λ=365 nm) for solar hydrogen production by one-step excitation overall water splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Guigang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Wandong Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Zhiming Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Dandan Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Sibo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Yidong Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
| | - Xinchen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, P. R. China
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Mondal S, Mark G, Abisdris L, Li J, Shmila T, Tzadikov J, Volokh M, Xing L, Shalom M. Developing extended visible light responsive polymeric carbon nitrides for photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic applications. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:1363-1372. [PMID: 36723245 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh00016h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Polymeric carbon nitride (CN) has emerged as an attractive material for photocatalysis and photoelectronic devices. However, the synthesis of porous CNs with controlled structural and optical properties remains a challenge, and processable CN precursors are still highly sought after for fabricating homogenous CN layers strongly bound to a given substrate. Here, we report a general method to synthesize highly dispersed porous CN materials that show excellent photocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction and good performance as photoanodes in photoelectrochemical cells (PEC): first, supramolecular assemblies of melem and melamine in ethylene glycol and water are prepared using a hydrothermal process. These precursors are then calcined to yield a water-dispersible CN photocatalyst that exhibits beneficial charge separation under illumination, extended visible-light response attributed to carbon doping, and a large number of free amine groups that act as preferential sites for a Pt cocatalyst. The optimized CN exhibits state-of-the-art HER rates up to 23.1 mmol h-1 g-1, with an AQE of 19.2% at 395 nm. This unique synthetic route enables the formation of a homogeneous precursor paste for substrate casting; consequently, the CN photoanode exhibits a low onset potential, a high photocurrent density and good stability after calcination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjit Mondal
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Gabriel Mark
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Liel Abisdris
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Junyi Li
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Tirza Shmila
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Jonathan Tzadikov
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Michael Volokh
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Lidan Xing
- School of Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Menny Shalom
- Department of Chemistry and Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
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A review on synthesis, modification method, and challenges of light-driven H2 evolution using g-C3N4-based photocatalyst. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 307:102722. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Wang XY, Wang Y, Zhao ND, Zheng M, Guo YR, Pan QJ. Van der Waals enhanced interfacial interaction in cellulose/zinc oxide nanocomposite coupled by graphitic carbon nitride. Carbohydr Polym 2021; 268:118235. [PMID: 34127218 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In-depth understanding of interfacial property is the key to guiding the synthesis of biomass composites with desired performance. However, the exploration is of great challenge due to limitations of experimental techniques in locating hydrogen, requiring large/good crystals and detecting a weak interaction like van der Waals (vdW). Herein, we experimentally and computationally investigated the composite cellulose/zinc oxide/g-C3N4. Hydrothermal synthesis afforded cellulose/ZnO, and then fabricated the ternary composite by adding g-C3N4 under ultrasonic condition. Three components are found to co-exist in the composite, and the ZnO nanoparticle is attaching to cellulose and coupling with g-C3N4. These experimental findings were corroborated by relativistic DFT calculations. The interfacial coupling is elaborated as contributions of dative bonds, hydrogen bonds and vdW interaction. The vdW is increased by a factor of 4.23 in the ZnO/g-C3N4 interface. This improves electron-hole separation and offers prospective application of the composite in photocatalysis, antibacteria and gas sensing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Harbin Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Harbin Center for Health Examination), Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China
| | - Nian-Dan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Ming Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Yuan-Ru Guo
- Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science & Technology (Ministry of Education), College of Material Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Qing-Jiang Pan
- Key Laboratory of Functional Inorganic Material Chemistry (Ministry of Education), School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China.
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A 3D Hierarchical Pancake-Like Porous Carbon Nitride for Highly Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic H2 Evolution. Catalysts 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/catal10010077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Polymeric carbon nitride is a fascinating visible-light-response metal-free semiconductor photocatalyst in recent decades. Nevertheless, the photocatalytic H2 efficiency is unsatisfactory due to the insufficient visible-light harvesting capacity and low quantum yields caused by the bulky structure seriously limited its applications. To overcome these defects, in this research, a 3D hierarchical pancake-like porous carbon nitride (PPCN) was successfully fabricated by a facile bottom-up method. The as-prepared photocatalyst exhibit enlarged surface area, enriched reactive sites, improved charge carrier transformation and separation efficiency, and expanded bandgap with a more negative conduction band towardan enhanced reduction ability. All these features synergistically enhanced the photocatalytic H2 evolution efficiency of 3% Pt@PPCN (430 µmol g−1 h−1) under the visible light illumination (λ ≥ 420 nm), which was nine-fold higher than that of 3% Pt@bulk C3N4 (BCN) (45 µmol g−1 h−1). The improved structure and enhanced photoelectric properties were systematically investigated by different characterization techniques. This research may provide an insightful synthesis strategy for polymeric carbon nitride with excellent light-harvesting capacity and enhanced separation of charges toward remarkable photocatalytic H2 for water splitting.
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Rahman MZ, Kibria MG, Mullins CB. Metal-free photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution. Chem Soc Rev 2020; 49:1887-1931. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cs00313d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
This article provides a comprehensive review of the latest progress, challenges and recommended future research related to metal-free photocatalysts for hydrogen productionviawater-splitting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Ziaur Rahman
- John J. Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Chemistry
- The University of Texas at Austin
- Austin
- USA
| | - Md Golam Kibria
- Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
- University of Calgary
- 2500 University Drive
- NW Calgary
- Canada
| | - Charles Buddie Mullins
- John J. Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Chemistry
- The University of Texas at Austin
- Austin
- USA
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8
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Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production: Role of Sacrificial Reagents on the Activity of Oxide, Carbon, and Sulfide Catalysts. Catalysts 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/catal9030276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Photocatalytic water splitting is a sustainable technology for the production of clean fuel in terms of hydrogen (H2). In the present study, hydrogen (H2) production efficiency of three promising photocatalysts (titania (TiO2-P25), graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), and cadmium sulfide (CdS)) was evaluated in detail using various sacrificial agents. The effect of most commonly used sacrificial agents in the recent years, such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, lactic acid, glucose, sodium sulfide, sodium sulfite, sodium sulfide/sodium sulfite mixture, and triethanolamine, were evaluated on TiO2-P25, g-C3N4, and CdS. H2 production experiments were carried out under simulated solar light irradiation in an immersion type photo-reactor. All the experiments were performed without any noble metal co-catalyst. Moreover, photolysis experiments were executed to study the H2 generation in the absence of a catalyst. The results were discussed specifically in terms of chemical reactions, pH of the reaction medium, hydroxyl groups, alpha hydrogen, and carbon chain length of sacrificial agents. The results revealed that glucose and glycerol are the most suitable sacrificial agents for an oxide photocatalyst. Triethanolamine is the ideal sacrificial agent for carbon and sulfide photocatalyst. A remarkable amount of H2 was produced from the photolysis of sodium sulfide and sodium sulfide/sodium sulfite mixture without any photocatalyst. The findings of this study would be highly beneficial for the selection of sacrificial agents for a particular photocatalyst.
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Nguyen CC, Sakar M, Vu MH, Do TO. Nitrogen Vacancies-Assisted Enhanced Plasmonic Photoactivities of Au/g-C3N4 Crumpled Nanolayers: A Novel Pathway toward Efficient Solar Light-Driven Photocatalysts. Ind Eng Chem Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.8b05792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Chinh-Chien Nguyen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Laval University, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada
| | - M. Sakar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Laval University, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada
| | - Manh-Hiep Vu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Laval University, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada
| | - Trong-On Do
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Laval University, Québec G1 V 0A6, Canada
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Rahman MZ, Mullins CB. Understanding Charge Transport in Carbon Nitride for Enhanced Photocatalytic Solar Fuel Production. Acc Chem Res 2019; 52:248-257. [PMID: 30596234 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.8b00542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Photocatalytic solar fuel production, for example, production of hydrogen via water-splitting, is an effective means of chemical storage of solar energy and provides a potential option for achieving a zero-emissions energy system. Conveniently, hydrogen can be converted back to electricity either via fuel cells or through combustion in gas turbines, or it can be mixed in low concentrations with natural gas or biogas for combustion in existing power plants. The cornerstone of a practical solar fuel production process is a stable, efficient, and scalable photocatalyst (a semiconductor material that accommodates photon absorption, charge carrier generation and transport, and catalytic reactions). Therefore, the quest for suitable photocatalyst materials is an ongoing process. Recently, carbon nitride (CN) has attracted widespread interest as a metal-free, earth-abundant, and highly stable photocatalyst. However, the catalytic efficiency of CN is not satisfactory because of its poor charge transport attributes. There is a direct relation between the photocatalytic efficiency and charge transport because the basic principle of light-promoted overall photodecomposition of water into H2 and O2 molecules (or, generally speaking, photoredox reactions) relies on separation and subsequent transfer of excited-state electron-hole pairs to relative redox couples. However, the excited states last for a very short time, typically nanoseconds to microseconds in liquids, and unless they are separated within this time frame, the excited-state electron-hole pairs undergo recombination with release of the captured light energy as heat or photon emission. To utilize light in a form other than heat or emitted photons by avoiding the recombination of excited-state electron-hole pairs, charged excitons must be scavenged before the absorption of subsequent photons to sustain a multielectron photoredox reaction. Otherwise, the extraction of charges becomes more difficult. This imposes a potential efficiency-limiting factor. An enhancement in water to hydrogen conversion efficiency in CN therefore requires the use of precious-metal cocatalysts (e.g., Pt) and sacrificial electron donor/acceptors to facilitate multielectron/multiproton transfers to overcome the high kinetic barriers. The use of Pt and sacrificial agents is not consistent with the notion of low-cost and sustainable hydrogen production from water. CN must overcome this dependence to stand out as a truly scalable photocatalyst. To make progress, the foremost requirement is to attain an in-depth understanding of the fundamental charge transport phenomena needed for the rational design of CN-based photocatalysts. In this Account, therefore, our aim is to provide a synopsis of current understanding and progress regarding charge-transport-related phenomena (e.g., recombination, trapping, transfer of charge carriers, etc.) and to discuss the effects of charge transport in enhancing the apparent quantum yield of hydrogen production in CN. This understanding is necessary to broaden the scope of CN for other catalytic applications, for example, efficient CO2 reduction to methanol or methane, fixation of nitrogen to ammonia, and use as an active material in solar cells. We also identify research gaps and issues to be addressed for a more clear elucidation of charge-transport-related phenomena in CN. Thus, this Account may inspire new research opportunities for tuning the extrinsic/intrinsic photophysicochemical properties of CN by rational design to attain the most favorable properties for improved catalytic efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Z. Rahman
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute and Center for Electrochemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1589, United States
| | - C. Buddie Mullins
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Chemistry, Texas Materials Institute and Center for Electrochemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1589, United States
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Rahman MZ, Davey K, Mullins CB. Tuning the Intrinsic Properties of Carbon Nitride for High Quantum Yield Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2018; 5:1800820. [PMID: 30356987 PMCID: PMC6193178 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201800820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The low quantum yield of photocatalytic hydrogen production in carbon nitride (CN) has been improved upon via the modulation of both the extrinsic and intrinsic properties of the material. Although the modification of extrinsic properties has been widely investigated in the past, recently there has been growing interest in the alteration of intrinsic properties. Refining the intrinsic properties of CN provides flexibility in controlling the charge transport and selectivity in photoredox reactions, and therefore makes available a pathway toward superior photocatalytic performance. An analysis of recent progress in tuning the intrinsic photophysical properties of CN facilitates an assessment of the goals, achievements, and gaps. This article is intended to serve this purpose. Therefore, selected techniques and mechanisms of the tuning of intrinsic properties of CN are critically discussed here. This article concludes with a recommendation of the issues that need to be considered for the further enhancement in the quantum efficiency of CN photocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Z. Rahman
- John J. Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering & Department of ChemistryCenter for ElectrochemistryTexas Materials InstituteUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTX78712‐1589USA
| | - Kenneth Davey
- School of Chemical EngineeringThe University of AdelaideAdelaideSA5005Australia
| | - C. Buddie Mullins
- John J. Mcketta Department of Chemical Engineering & Department of ChemistryCenter for ElectrochemistryTexas Materials InstituteUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTX78712‐1589USA
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12
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Qin Y, Li H, Lu J, Yan Y, Lu Z, Liu X. Enhanced photocatalytic performance of MoS 2 modified by AgVO 3 from improved generation of reactive oxygen species. CHINESE JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/s1872-2067(18)63111-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Li K, Zhang WD. Creating Graphitic Carbon Nitride Based Donor-π-Acceptor-π-Donor Structured Catalysts for Highly Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2018; 14:e1703599. [PMID: 29430823 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201703599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2017] [Revised: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Conjugated polymers with tailored donor-acceptor units have recently attracted considerable attention in organic photovoltaic devices due to the controlled optical bandgap and retained favorable separation of charge carriers. Inspired by these advantages, an effective strategy is presented to solve the main obstructions of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) photocatalyst for solar energy conversion, that is, inefficient visible light response and insufficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Donor-π-acceptor-π-donor polymers are prepared by incorporating 4,4'-(benzoc 1,2,5 thiadiazole-4,7-diyl) dianiline (BD) into the g-C3 N4 framework (UCN-BD). Benefiting from the visible light band tail caused by the extended π conjugation, UCN-BD possesses expanded visible light absorption range. More importantly, the BD monomer also acts as an electron acceptor, which endows UCN-BD with a high degree of intramolecular charge transfer. With this unique molecular structure, the optimized UCN-BD sample exhibits a superior performance for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution upon visible light illumination (3428 µmol h-1 g-1 ), which is nearly six times of that of the pristine g-C3 N4 . In addition, the photocatalytic property remains stable for six cycles in 3 d. This work provides an insight into the synthesis of g-C3 N4 -based D-π-A-π-D systems with highly visible light response and long lifetime of intramolecular charge carriers for solar fuel production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kui Li
- Department of Chemistry, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Wei-De Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, South China University of Technology, 381 Wushan Road, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
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Wang C, Fan H, Ren X, Ma J, Fang J, Wang W. Hydrothermally Induced Oxygen Doping of Graphitic Carbon Nitride with a Highly Ordered Architecture and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity. CHEMSUSCHEM 2018; 11:700-708. [PMID: 29285895 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201702278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2017] [Revised: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
As an amorphous or semicrystalline material, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) displays poor photocatalytic activity owing to rapid recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers, which is mainly caused by a high density of defects in the graphitic structure. In this work, a porous O-doped g-C3 N4 (P-CNO) nanosheet with a highly ordered architecture is fabricated by introducing a novel hydrothermal treatment to the precursor before the final thermal condensation. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate (HER) and HER per surface area of P-CNO are 13.9 and 1.7 times higher than that of bulk g-C3 N4 . The improved photocatalytic activity is ascribed to a synergistic effect of O doping, a porous sheet-like morphology, and increased crystallinity. This work also provides a new approach for the synthesis of other polymer-based photocatalysts with high crystallinity and excellent performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, PR China
| | - Huiqing Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, PR China
| | - Xiaohu Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, PR China
| | - Jiangwei Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, PR China
| | - Jiawen Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, PR China
| | - Weijia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, 710072, PR China
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15
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Lin W, Hong W, Sun L, Yu D, Yu D, Chen X. Bioinspired Mesoporous Chiral Nematic Graphitic Carbon Nitride Photocatalysts modulated by Polarized Light. CHEMSUSCHEM 2018; 11:114-119. [PMID: 29160942 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201701984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Endowing materials with chirality and exploring the responses of the material under circularly polarized light (CPL) can enable further insight into the physical and chemical properties of the semiconductors to be gained, thus expanding on optoelectronic applications. Herein a bioinspired mesoporous chiral nematic graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) for efficient hydrogen evolution with polarized light modulation based on chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystal films prepared through silica templating is described. The mesoporous nematic chiral g-C3 N4 exhibits an ultrahigh hydrogen evolution rate of 219.9 μmol h-1 (for 20 mg catalyst), corresponding to a high enhancement factor of 55 when compared to the bulk g-C3 N4 under λ>420 nm irradiation. Furthermore, the chiral g-C3 N4 material exhibits unique photocatalytic activity modulated by CPL within the absorption region. This CPL-assisted photocatalytic regulation strategy holds great promise for a wide range of applications including optical devices, asymmetric photocatalysis, and chiral recognition/separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wensheng Lin
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for High-performance Organic and Polymer Photoelectric Functional Films, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, P. R. China
| | - Wei Hong
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for High-performance Organic and Polymer Photoelectric Functional Films, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, P. R. China
| | - Lu Sun
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for High-performance Organic and Polymer Photoelectric Functional Films, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, P. R. China
| | - Di Yu
- School of Automotive Engineering, Guangdong Industry Polytechnic, Guangzhou, 510300, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P. R. China
| | - Dingshan Yu
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for High-performance Organic and Polymer Photoelectric Functional Films, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, P. R. China
| | - Xudong Chen
- Key Laboratory for Polymeric Composite and Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for High-performance Organic and Polymer Photoelectric Functional Films, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, P. R. China
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Lan H, Li L, Liu H, An X, Liu F, Chen C, Qu J. Melem-based derivatives as metal-free photocatalysts for simultaneous reduction of Cr(VI) and degradation of 5-Sulfosalicylic acid. J Colloid Interface Sci 2017; 507:162-171. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.07.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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