Hydrogen generation by water splitting of formic acid assisted supramolecular self-assembled g-C3N4 nanostructures

Abstract

The photocatalytic hydrolysis reaction primarily unfolds on the material's surface, making the material's morphology and microstructure critical for the catalytic efficiency of photocatalysts. In this paper, a formic acid-assisted melamine hydrothermal self-assembly method is explored to prepare g-C3N4 photocatalysts with a unique morphology. The impact of sintering temperature on the morphology of the g-C3N4 photocatalysts are explored and the effect of formic acid concentration on the XRD and FTIR was analyzed. Findings reveal that the g-C3N4 nanostructures photocatalyst possesses fibrous tubular and nanosheet structures, boasting a heightened specific surface area (32.9 m2/g) and a more refined graphite-like crystalline framework. When synthesized with a 0.15 M concentration of formic acid, the g- C3N4 nanostructured photocatalyst achieved a hydrogen production rate (1289.4 μmol h−1 g−1), which is approximately 4.8 times greater than that of bulk g-C3N4 (264.7 μmol h−1 g−1). This work provides a simple method for preparing high-performance g-C3N4 based photocatalysts for visible light hydrolysis hydrogen production.