Performance of Ni-Cu bimetallic co-catalyst g-C3N4 nanosheets for improving hydrogen evolution

Abstract

The Ni-Cu bimetallic nanoparticles were successfully anchorred on the surface of g-C3N4 nanosheets by a simple heat treatment process which was applied to the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. In-situ introduction of Ni-Cu could significantly improve the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance compared with pure g-C3N4 in the system sensitized by eosin Y under a visible irradiation condition. The hydrogen production activity of the composite reached 104.4 μmol (2088.28 μmol g−1 h−1) after using the NiCu double promoter strategy, which was 24.3 times higher than g-C3N4. The excellent electrical conductivity of the bimetallic Ni-Cu and the close interfacial contact between NiCu and g-C3N4 played an important role for increasing the charge transfer rate. They were also the reasons of more efficient charge separation, which ultimately led to a significant promotion on the photocatalytic hydrogen production reaction. Ni-Cu/g-C3N4 coupling with a close Schottky interface between metal and semiconductor which enhanced H2-evolution performance and TEOA oxidation kinetics. This work provided a new way to load NiCu bimetallic nanoparticles in situ onto g-C3N4 and a reference on relative semiconductor materials.