Au-loaded alkali metal-modified crystalline carbon nitride for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation

• Published in: Carbon Letters Vol. 34; no. 9; pp. 2291 - 2303
• Main Authors: Luo, Mimi, Wang, Baibing, Shao, Jiahui, Yan, Yupeng, Jiang, Guanjie, Zhang, Qin, Li, Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.11.2024; 한국탄소학회; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Absorption; Alkali metals; Ammonia; Carbon; Carbon nitride; Catalytic activity; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Electrodes; Electromagnetic absorption; Electrons; Ethanol; Fourier transforms; Glass; Gold; Light; Materials Engineering; Materials Science; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Nitrogen; Nitrogen fixation; Nitrogenation; Noble metals; Original Article; Photocatalysis; Photocatalysts; Polyethylene glycol; Polymerization; Reagents; Spectrum analysis; Surface plasmon resonance; 자연과학일반; Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation; Crystalline; Au NPs; Graphitic carbon nitride
• ISSN: 1976-4251; 2233-4998
• DOI: 10.1007/s42823-024-00755-9

Crystalline heptazine carbon nitride (HCN) is an ideal photocatalyst for photocatalytic ammonia synthesis. However, the limited response to visible light has hindered its further development. As a noble metal, Au nanoparticles (NPs) can enhance the light absorption capability of photocatalysts by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. Therefore, a series of Au NPs-loaded crystalline carbon nitride materials (AH) were prepared for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation. The results showed that the AH displayed significantly improved light absorption and decreased recombination rate of photo-generated carriers owing to the introduction of Au NPs. The optimal 2AH (loaded with 2 wt% Au) sample demonstrated the best photocatalytic performance for ammonia production with a yield of 70.3 μmol g −1  h −1 , which outperformed that of HCN. This can be attributed to the SPR effect of Au NPs and alkali metal of HCN structure. These findings provide a theoretical basis for studying noble metal-enhanced photocatalytic activity for nitrogen fixation and offer new insights into advances in efficient photocatalysts.