Promoting photocarriers separation in distinctive ternary g-C3N4/Ni2P/ZnO composite with Ni2P electron-bridge

Abstract

Constructing a Z-type heterojunction is a key factor in reducing interface resistance for accelerating the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers. Therefore, we built a novel g-C3N4/Ni2P/ZnO composite which form Z-type heterojunction between g-C3N4 and ZnO employing Ni2P as an electron bridge to decrease the interfacial resistance leading in fast separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers. The results showed that the g-C3N4/Ni2P/ZnO composite has excellent photocatalytic performance with 94.8 % within 80 min for the removal efficiency of rhodamine B (RhB). The exceptional photocatalytic performance of the g-C3N4/Ni2P/ZnO can be mainly because the synergistic effects of the Ni2P electron-bridge and Z-type heterojunction which could decrease interface resistance between the photocatalysts, accelerate photogenerated carriers separation and transfer, and then improve the strong redox capacity. In additional, the photogenerated carriers transfer and photocatalytic mechanisms can be discussed more detail in the paper. This research offers a straightforward and viable approach to synthesizing highly efficient photocatalyst with Z-type heterojunction and transition metal phosphates act as an electron-bridge.