Z-scheme Ag3PO4/graphdiyne/g-C3N4 composites: Enhanced photocatalytic O2 generation benefiting from dual roles of graphdiyne

• Published in: Carbon (New York) Vol. 132; pp. 598 - 605
• Main Authors: Si, Hua-Yan, Mao, Chen-Jing, Zhou, Jin-Yuan, Rong, Xian-Feng, Deng, Qi-Xin, Chen, Shu-Lin, Zhao, Jin-Jin, Sun, Xiu-Guo, Shen, Ying–Ming, Feng, Wen-Jie, Gao, Peng, Zhang, Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2018
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2018.02.107

Ag3PO4 nanoparticles are often considered to be a fascinating and efficient visible photocatalyst because of its high quantum efficiency and excellent activity of O2 generation from water oxidation. However, the photo-corroded phenomenon and stability during the photocatalytic process reduce the photocatalytic activity. To overcome these disadvantages, strategies of combining Ag3PO4 with two-dimensional materials have been put forward to improve its stability and photocatalytic properties under visible-light irradiation. In this work, a novel Z-scheme Ag3PO4/graphdiyne/g-C3N4 nanocomposite was constructed via a simple electrostatic and π-π stacking interaction for the first time. Significantly, such Z-scheme nanostructures show highly oxygen evolution, and 753.1 μmol g−1 h−1 of O2 was produced with Ag3PO4/graphdiyne/g-C3N4, which was 12.2 times higher than that of Ag3PO4 nanoparticles. Graphdiyne with π-conjugated structure of sp- and sp2-hybridized carbon atoms, can not only act as conductive electron mediator bridges to collect photogenerated electrons and boost the O2 evolution kinetics, but also used as a promising substrate for stabilizing Ag3PO4 in the composite. [Display omitted]