The
application of accumulated electron sites on the catalyst surface
for photocatalytic hydrogen production represents a prospective strategy
for efficient utilization of solar energy. Herein, the accumulated
electron sites (BN2) loaded on graphitic carbon nitride
(G-CN) were prepared without effort by a two-step calcination method
in which melamine was calcined and then heat-treated with NaBH4. When compared with that of the bulk G-CN, the rate toward
water splitting to produce H2 of the represented catalyst
(CN-B0.05) greatly increased by 2.3 times under illumination (λ
≥ 420 nm). The improved activity could be attributed to the
decrease in interlayer distance and the potential barrier of interlayers
which was beneficial to readily transfer electrons in the Z direction, improve the adsorption and activation of water,
and decline the Gibbs free energies for H* adsorption. The increase
in π–π conjugation facilitated enhancement of the
separation efficiency of photogenerated electron–hole pairs
and light-capturing capabilities in the visible region with the introduction
of BN2 sites. An approach for efficient H2 production
is demonstrated in this work.
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