Enhanced H2 evolution performance by carbonized SiC/g-C3N4 heterojunction under visible-light illumination

Abstract

Abstract In this study, carbonized silicon carbide/graphitic carbon nitride ((SiC/C)/g-C3N4) composites were fabricated via a facile calcination method. The optimal SiC/C/g-C3N4 composite shows an excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity for water splitting, with the highest hydrogen evolution amount being 200.2 μmol, which is four times higher than that of pure g-C3N4 when triethanolamine and platinum (1.0 wt%) are used as the sacrificial agent and cocatalyst, respectively. With an intimate interface between SiC/C and g-C3N4, the energy band structure of g-C3N4 was well engineered for photocatalytic H2 production. This study provides a novel method for fabricating g-C3N4-based heterojunctions for application in environmental conservation.