Fast Photoelectron Transfer in (Cring)-C3N4 Plane Heterostructural Nanosheets for Overall Water Splitting

J Am Chem Soc. 2017 Mar 1;139(8):3021-3026. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b11878. Epub 2017 Feb 21.

Abstract

Direct and efficient photocatalytic water splitting is critical for sustainable conversion and storage of renewable solar energy. Here, we propose a conceptual design of two-dimensional C3N4-based in-plane heterostructure to achieve fast spatial transfer of photoexcited electrons for realizing highly efficient and spontaneous overall water splitting. This unique plane heterostructural carbon ring (Cring)-C3N4 nanosheet can synchronously expedite electron-hole pair separation and promote photoelectron transport through the local in-plane π-conjugated electric field, synergistically elongating the photocarrier diffusion length and lifetime by 10 times relative to those achieved with pristine g-C3N4. As a result, the in-plane (Cring)-C3N4 heterostructure could efficiently split pure water under light irradiation with prominent H2 production rate up to 371 μmol g-1 h-1 and a notable quantum yield of 5% at 420 nm.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't