Heterostructured g-CN/TiO<sub>2</sub> Photocatalysts Prepared by Thermolysis of g-CN/MIL-125(Ti) Composites for Efficient Pollutant Degradation and Hydrogen Production

Photocatalysts composed of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) and TiO<sub>2</sub> were efficiently prepared by thermolysis of the MIL-125(Ti) metal organic framework deposited on g-CN. The heterojunction between the 12 nm-sized TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles and g-CN was well est...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Batukhan Tatykayev, Bilel Chouchene, Lavinia Balan, Thomas Gries, Ghouti Medjahdi, Emilien Girot, Bolat Uralbekov, Raphaël Schneider
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/10/7/1387
Description
Summary:Photocatalysts composed of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) and TiO<sub>2</sub> were efficiently prepared by thermolysis of the MIL-125(Ti) metal organic framework deposited on g-CN. The heterojunction between the 12 nm-sized TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles and g-CN was well established and the highest photocatalytic activity was observed for the g-CN/TiO<sub>2</sub> (3:1) material. The g-CN/TiO<sub>2</sub> (3:1) composite exhibits high visible light performances both for the degradation of pollutants like the Orange II dye or tetracycline but also for the production of hydrogen (hydrogen evolution rate (HER) up to 1330 μmolh<sup>−1</sup>g<sup>−1</sup> and apparent quantum yield of 0.22% using NiS as a cocatalyst). The improved visible light performances originate from the high specific surface area of the photocatalyst (86 m<sup>2</sup>g<sup>−1</sup>) and from the efficient charge carriers separation as demonstrated by photoluminescence, photocurrent measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The synthetic process developed in this work is based on the thermal decomposition of metal organic framework deposited on a graphitic material and holds huge promise for the preparation of porous heterostructured photocatalysts.
ISSN:2079-4991