Bimetallic PtAu Alloy Nanoparticles-Integrated g-C 3 N 4 Hybrid as an Efficient Photocatalyst for Water-to-Hydrogen Conversion

Herein, we report the synthesis of metal (Pt and Au) and metal alloy (PtAu) nanoparticles (NPs)-integrated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) hybrids using a facile solvothermal route for water-splitting application. The metal and metal alloy NPs with varying percentages of Pt and Au are found to be in the size range of 3–5 nm and uniformly distributed on the g-C 3 N 4 sheets. The metal and metal alloy NPs act as cocatalyst for g-C 3 N 4 to enhance the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen (H 2 ) generation through higher light absorption and efficient charge separation. The alloy composition plays an important role to maximize the photoactivity, with an optimized PtAu/g-C 3 N 4 sample delivered 1009 μmol g –1 h –1 of H 2 . The visible light assisted photocatalytic H 2 evolution is further investigated with the optimized PtAu alloy NPs-integrated g-C 3 N 4 . This study presents a robust, stable, and easily synthesizable PtAu/g-C 3 N 4 hybrid material as a promising photocatalyst for H 2 generation through water splitting.