Boosting visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution from formic acid over AgPd/2D g-C3N4 nanosheets Mott-Schottky photocatalyst

Abstract

Two dimensional graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (2D CNNs), as novel types of emerging materials, have aroused considerable research enthusiasm in recent years. Herein, we describe for the first time a new application of 2D CNNs as an ideal scaffold for synthesizing AgPd/2D CNNs through a facile one-step reduction method and further utilized it as catalysts toward photocatalytic hydrogen generation from FA under visible light (λ > 400 nm). Benefiting from plasmonic and Mott-Schottky, alloying effects, as well as the unique 2D nanosheets structure with a high surface area, the resultant Ag0.1Pd0.9/2D CNNs affords superior performance under visible light, including 100% H2 selectivity, 100% conversion, cycle performance, hydrogen evolution rate of 231.6 mmol h−1and the corresponding TOF value of 2936.8 h−1, which is 1.87 times and 3.5-fold higher than that of Ag0.1Pd0.9/2D CNNs under no light (1573.5 h−1) and that of Ag0.1Pd0.9/CN (837.2 h−1) under visible light, respectively, even better than most of the noble metal heterogeneous catalysts. This study not only throws light on modulating the structure of g-C3N4 to enhance the photocatalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction but also offers a versatile method for developing high-performance photocatalyst for hydrogen economy and other applications.