2D BiVO4/g-C3N4 Z-scheme photocatalyst for enhanced overall water splitting

• Published in: Journal of materials science Vol. 54; no. 15; pp. 10836 - 10845
• Main Authors: Xie, Hanyi, Zhao, Yanfang, Li, Huijuan, Xu, Yizhen, Chen, Xiangfeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bismuth oxides; Carbon nitride; Catalytic activity; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Classical Mechanics; Crystallography and Scattering Methods; Electron microscopes; Electron paramagnetic resonance; electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy; Electron spin; Energy Materials; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Fourier transforms; Graphene; Hydrogen production; irradiation; Light irradiation; Mass ratios; Materials Science; Morphology; Optical properties; oxygen production; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Photoelectrons; Photoluminescence; Polymer Sciences; scanning electron microscopes; Semiconductor materials; semiconductors; Solid Mechanics; Spectrum analysis; Spin resonance; Thickness; transmission electron microscopes; ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy; Vanadates; Water splitting; X-ray diffraction; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1007/s10853-019-03664-9

A 2D Z-scheme BiVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal/calcination method for overall water splitting. Morphology design to restrain the growth of BiVO 4 nanoplates with thickness around 20 nm was achieved by adjusting the pH value and introducing graphene sheets. Then, the BiVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 (BVO-CN) hybrid photocatalysts were fabricated with different mass ratios of two components. The structures and optical properties of the BVO-CN photocatalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. In application, the BVO-CN photocatalysts exhibited the catalytic overall water splitting activity up to 15.6 μmol h −1 for H 2 production and 7.3 μmol h −1 for O 2 evolution under visible light irradiation. A possible Z-scheme mechanism is proposed for the enhanced photocatalytic activity and was further confirmed by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. This study demonstrated enhanced overall water splitting photocatalytic performance of BiVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst by constructing a 2D nanoplates morphology and shed light on the morphology design of Z-scheme semiconductor materials.