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Z-Scheme Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 Nanocomposites for Robust Cocatalyst-Free Photocatalytic H2 Evolution Under Visible Light Irradiation

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Abstract

Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 nanocomposite photocatalysts were synthesized by calcining the mixture of urea and trace amount of Ag3PO4 microcrystals at 600 °C, in which Ag3PO4 nanoparticles with size of 20–30 nm were wrapped with g-C3N4 layers. The obtained Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 composites exhibited efficient utilization of visible light and separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs, resulting in enhanced photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution. The optimum photocatalytic H2 evolution rate under visible light without Pt co-catalyst for 0.04AP-CN composite was 89.4 µmol/h, which is 3.34 times of that of g-C3N4 (26.7 µmol/h). The H2 evolution rate for 0.04AP-CN with 3 wt% Pt co-catalyst was up to 273.6 µmol/h, which is 2.39 times of that g-C3N4 (114.4 µmol/h). The performance of Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 composite was enhanced significantly due to the synergistic effect of the interface formed between Ag3PO4 and g-C3N4.

Graphical Abstract

Photocatalytic mechanism of the Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 composite

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21173170, 51801164).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People’s Republic of China

    Dan Long, Hailong Dou, Xi Rao, Zhiqian Chen & Yongping Zhang

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  1. Dan Long
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Long, D., Dou, H., Rao, X. et al. Z-Scheme Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 Nanocomposites for Robust Cocatalyst-Free Photocatalytic H2 Evolution Under Visible Light Irradiation. Catal Lett 149, 1154–1166 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-019-02704-y

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