In-Situ Synthesis of Highly Efficient Direct Z-Scheme Cu3P/g-C3N4 Heterojunction Photocatalyst for N2 Photofixation

Abstract

In this work, a highly efficient p-type Cu3P/[Formula: see text]-type g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized in situ. XRD, UV–Vis, N2 adsorption, TEM, XPS, PL, and EIS are used to characterize the as-prepared catalysts. The results show that Cu3P nanoparticles are highly dispersed onto the g-C3N4 surface, which obviously promotes the separation rate of electrons and holes. The charge transfer between Cu3P and g-C3N4 follows the “Z-scheme” mechanism. The as-prepared Cu3P/g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst displays the ammonium ion production rate of 7.5[Formula: see text]mg[Formula: see text]L[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]h[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text], which is 28.8 times higher than that of neat g-C3N4, as well as good catalytic stability. The possible reaction mechanism is proposed.