Sulfur self-doped g-C3N4 nanofiber modified by NiO co-catalyst: An efficient, collectible, durable, and low-cost photocatalyst for visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution from water

Abstract

The energy dilemma is exacerbating. Artificial photosynthesis is a plausible blueprint for solar-to-fuel conversion applications to satisfy future energy demands. Developing a cheap, efficient photocatalyst material can be the watershed moment in this field. Herein, low-cost sulfur self-doped g-C3N4 nanofiber decorated by nickel oxide (denoted as x%NiO/S-g-C3N4-F) was obtained via electrospinning and one-step thermal treatment (575 °C). Outstandingly, the modified g-C3N4-based material could interact and harvest long wavelengths up to 706 nm. Moreover, the quantified specific surface area (SSA) for 2%NiO/S-g-C3N4-F is more than 17.3 folds larger than S self-doped g-C3N4 bulk (denoted as S-g-C3N4 bulk). As a result, the optimal photocatalytic property of 2%NiO/S-g-C3N4-F is almost five times as high as S-g-C3N4 bulk, achieving 107.04 μmol/h. The suggested photocatalysis mechanism was proposed and supported by the results. Significantly, loading a proper amount of NiO over modified S-g-C3N4 promoted performance as well as convenient recovery and reusability. According to the experimental and characterization results, the fabricated 2%NiO/S-g-C3N4-F consider a potential candidate for photocatalytic applications, especially Vis-light-driven H2 evolution.