Visible Light-Driven Photocatalytic H2 Generation and Mechanism Insights into Bi2O2CO3/G-C3N4 Z-Scheme Photocatalyst

Developing a low-cost photocatalyst with efficient performance is significant for practical application of solar-to-fuel conversion. Here, we first adopt a facile method to synthesize Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 -modified g-C 3 N 4 heterojunction via in situ thermal growth. Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 nanoparticles on g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets play a vital role in improving the photocatalytic activity of splitting water for hydrogen production. The activity of Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 heterojunction during 5 h reaches 965 μmol·g –1 ·h –1, which is much higher than that of pure g-C 3 N 4 (337 μmol·g –1 ·h –1 ) or other modified g-C 3 N 4 materials. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to direct Z-scheme system construction, resulting in a superior charge carrier separation ability. Theoretical calculations further reveal the redistribution of charge carrier at interface between Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 and g-C 3 N 4 . This work provides new direction to synthesize g-C 3 N 4 -based heterojunction with high photocatalytic performance for alleviating energy and environmental issues.