The 2D RGO-NiS2 dual co-catalyst synergistic modified g-C3N4 aerogel towards enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

Abstract

The two-dimension RGO (reduced graphene oxide)-NiS2 dual co-catalyst synergistic modified g-C3N4 nanosheets aerogel is synthesized via the continuous thermal oxidation etching-hydrothermal method-freeze drying process. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) imply that the RGO-NiS2 dual co-catalyst is introduced into the aerogel system successfully. The photocatalytic activity of the RGO-NiS2 synergistic modified g-C3N4 aerogel remarkably exhibits an enhancement of 67 times than that of simplicial g-C3N4. Further, the photocatalytic process and the mechanism of the photocatalytic hydrogen production enhancement are studied, which is ascribed to RGO-NiS2 dual co-catalyst synergistic modification, including the Pt-like behavior of the NiS2 and the high conductivity and large specific surface area of the RGO.