Boosting the water splitting and hydrogen production of S-scheme fabricated porous g-C3N4 modified with CuO

Abstract

In response to the growing demand for sustainable hydrogen generation, particularly through solar energy conversion, this study focuses on the development of an S-scheme CuO/porous g-C3N4 (CuO/pCN) heterojunction nanocomposite for enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution via water splitting under visible light. Coupling CuO with porous CN yields a remarkable H2 generation of 30 μmol/gh, about 5.29 times higher than CN (5.67 μmol/gh) and 2.78 times higher than pCN (10.78 μmol/gh). The superior performance of CuO/pCN is attributed to its highly porous structure with a large surface area (33.8 m2/g), which benefits the exposure of active sites, while a narrow band gap enhances photon absorption and utilization. Additionally, the formation of S-scheme heterojunction promotes more efficient separation of photoinduced charge carriers. CuO modification significantly enhances photocatalytic activity, contributing to efficient H2 production. A thorough investigation into crystal structure, surface morphology, and elemental composition elucidates characteristics responsible for heightened photochemical catalysis. The S-scheme heterojunction creation extends visible light absorption, achieving excellent photo-redox ability and mitigating photoinduced electron-hole recombination. In conclusion, this research presents a sustainable approach to efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution, contributing to renewable energy production.