Multi‐technical study of copper oxide on graphitic carbon nitride and its role in the photocatalytic reactions

Abstract

AbstractBased on a facile three‐step preparation method, CuO/g‐C3N4 photocatalysts have been successfully synthesized by exfoliation of a bulk graphitic carbon nitride and subsequent hydrothermal decoration with CuO nanoparticles. Several advanced scientific tools were used to characterize crucial features of the prepared materials, in particular, to understand the role of copper oxide in photocatalytic reactions. CuO/g‐C3N4 reached a remarkably increased light‐induced photocatalytic reduction of water to hydrogen as well as oxidation of formaldehyde to CO2, in comparison with a neat g‐C3N4. The presence of CuO co‐catalyst resulted in more than 10 times higher H2 production rate. The increase of photocatalytic efficiency was observed also in the case of HCHO oxidation, but the effect of CuO addition was less impressive. Moreover, it has been evidenced that the durability of photocatalyst raised with an increasing amount of copper oxide. Simultaneously, the copper modified composites exhibited an improved photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) performance, confirmed by the photocurrent density measurements. In the following paper we described our findings concerning the role of copper oxide in CuO/g‐C3N4 composites.