In situ synthesis of cubic PtPd bimetallic co-catalyst on C3N4 nanosheets for photocatalytic hydrogen generation

• Published in: Journal of nanoparticle research : an interdisciplinary forum for nanoscale science and technology 2021, Vol.23 (1), Article 17
• Main Authors: Liu, Wenwen, Peng, Renfu, Pan, Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bimetals; Carbon nitride; Catalysts; Catalytic activity; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical synthesis; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cubes; Fossil fuels; Hydrogen; Hydrogen production; Inorganic Chemistry; Irradiation; Lasers; Light irradiation; Materials Science; Nanoparticles; Nanosheets; Nanotechnology; Optical Devices; Optical properties; Optics; Particulate composites; Photocatalysis; Photonics; Physical Chemistry; Recombination; Research Paper; Separation; Solid phases; Spectroscopy; Transmission electron microscopy; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 1388-0764; 1572-896X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11051-020-05133-w

The severe recombination of photoinduced carriers is one of the major problems encountered in C 3 N 4 -based photocatalyst for hydrogen generation. Herein, PtPd/C 3 N 4 composites by in situ growth of cubic PtPd bimetallic co-catalyst on the surface of C 3 N 4 were constructed for photocatalytic hydrogen generation under visible light irradiation. The phase structure, microstructure, and optical property were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Photocatalytic hydrogen generation results showed that the growth of a moderate amount of cubic PtPd bimetallic co-catalyst on C 3 N 4 is excellent beneficial for enhancing hydrogen generation activity. By optimizing the loading content of cubic PtPd bimetallic co-catalyst, the PtPd/C 3 N 4 composite provided a maximum hydrogen generation rate of 54.31 μmol h −1 . The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the efficient separation and transfer of photoinduced carriers. On one hand, PtPd bimetal can extract electrons from C 3 N 4 , which promotes the separation efficiency of the carriers. On the other hand, the face-to-face interface formed between PtPd cubes and C 3 N 4 nanosheets has a large contact area, resulting in lots of unique high-speed carrier transfer channels in PtPd/C 3 N 4 composite, which promotes the transfer efficiency of the carriers. The work highlights the construction of less expensive and suitable shape of co-catalyst for enhanced photocatalytic activity.