NH2-MIL-101(Fe)/Ni(OH)2-derived C,N-codoped Fe2P/Ni2P cocatalyst modified g-C3N4 for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water splitting

By Jixiang Xu, Yinhong Qi, Chao Wang, Lei Wang. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2019

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Abstract Constructing appropriate cocatalysts to modify semiconductors while maintaining tight interface for charge separation facilitation is important for improving photocatalytic hydrogen production. Thus, in this work, C,N-codoped Fe2P/Ni2P (CN/FeNiP) polyhedrons derived from NH2-MIL-101(Fe)/Ni(OH)2 were used as cocatalysts to modify graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) for photocatalytic hydrogen production from water splitting under visible-light irradiation. The highest evolution rate observed over CN/FeNiP/g-C3N4 was 13.81 mmol g−1 h−1 under 1.0 mmol L−1 of Eosin Y (EY) sensitization (compared to 0.196 mmol g−1 h−1 without EY sensitization), which was about 10 and 5 times higher than that of g-C3N4 (1.33 mmol g−1 h−1) and CN/FeP/g-C3N4 (2.73 mmol g−1 h−1). The apparent quantum yield at 420 nm reached 45.8%. A detail analysis of the mechanism revealed that the improved photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to highly efficient spatial separation of photo-induced charges from the excited EY and g-C3N4 to CN/FeNiP with tight interface, staggered band energy between g-C3N4, CN/Fe2P and Ni2P as well as accelerated surface reaction by CN/FeNiP cocatalysts. This work demonstrates that MOF-derived hybrid hollow metal phosphide can be good substitutes for noble metal catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Subfields: Materials Chemistry, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/45394c9e402c41ca5eaf399643d88d7be12a171a