Triethanolamine-mediated photodeposition formation of amorphous Ni-P alloy for improved H2-evolution activity of g-C3N4

Abstract

Developing efficient, stable, and low-cost novel electron-cocatalysts is crucial for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. Herein, amorphous NiP alloy particles were successfully modified onto g-C 3 N 4 to construct the Ni-P/ g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst through a simple and green triethanolamine (TEOA)-mediated photodeposition method. It was found that the TEOA could serve as an excellent complexing agent to coordinate with Ni 2+ to form [Ni(TEOA)] 2+ complex, which can promote the rapid and effective deposition of amorphous NiP alloy on the g-C 3 N 4 surface. Photocatalytic tests suggest that the hydrogen-evolution performance of g-C 3 N 4 can be greatly promoted through integrating amorphous NiP alloy. Especially, the Ni-P/g-C 3 N 4 (5 wt%) exhibits the superior H 2-generation activity (118.2 μmol h −1 g −1), which is almost 35.8 times that of bare g-C 3 N 4. Furthermore, the amorphous NiP alloy cocatalyst can also serve as the general hydrogen-production cocatalyst to greatly enhance the photocatalytic performance of traditional semiconductor materials such as TiO 2 and CdS. Based on the present results, the mechanism of the amorphous NiP alloy as the high-efficiency electron transfer medium was proposed for the boosted H 2generation rate. The present facile route may broaden the horizons for the efficient development of highly active cocatalysts in photocatalytic field.

One‐Step Realization of Crystallization and Cyano‐Group Generation for g‐C3N4 Photocatalysts with Improved H2 Production

“…The conventional g‐C 3 N 4 was normally produced by a high‐temperature calcination process using various organic precursors (for instance, melamine, thiourea, dicyandiamide, et al). [ 26–28 ] Unfortunately, high‐temperature calcination usually causes severe aggregation and disordered combination of the fundamental s‐triazine units in the final g‐C 3 N 4 photocatalysts, leading to inefficient carrier transfer and limited active sites. [ 29,30 ] To further modify the photogenerared carrier transfer and decrease their combination rate, one of the effective routes is to improve the ordered combination of s‐triazine units and reduce the bulk defects of g‐C 3 N 4 photocatalysts.…”

Co‐Ni‐P‐B catalyzed hydroformylation of long linear α olefins

“…23,[25][26][27][28] The peaks at 852.4 and 869.8 eV are ascribed to Ni2p 3/2 and Ni2p 1/2 of Ni, 855.9 and 873.5 eV to Ni2p 3/2 and Ni2p 1/2 of Ni 2+ , and 861.2 and 879.6 eV to the shake-up satellite peaks of Ni 2+ . 17,[27][28][29][30] The peaks at 187.8 and 191.7 eV arise from B1s, the former is ascribed to B and the latter to B 3+ . 17,20 The peak at 129.3 eV is attributed to P with Co and Ni, whereas the peak at around 133.1 eV to the oxidized P. 19,27,29 These results indicated that Co, Ni, P, and B in the catalysts are both in atomic states and oxidation states.…”

“…17,[27][28][29][30] The peaks at 187.8 and 191.7 eV arise from B1s, the former is ascribed to B and the latter to B 3+ . 17,20 The peak at 129.3 eV is attributed to P with Co and Ni, whereas the peak at around 133.1 eV to the oxidized P. 19,27,29 These results indicated that Co, Ni, P, and B in the catalysts are both in atomic states and oxidation states. In addition, from the areas of the binding energy peaks, the amount of the oxidation states is more than that of the atomic states.…”

“…12 Along with study on non-precious metal amorphous alloys, the catalytic activity for hydrogenation or hydrogen generation has been frequently reported. [13][14][15][16][17] It has been found that poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone-modified NiCoB improves the selective hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene. 13 Electron transfer from B to Co and synergistic effects between Co and Ni atoms enhance the catalytic activity of Co-Ni-B for hydrolysis of NaBH 4 .…”

Recent advances in graphite carbon nitride-based nanocomposites: structure, antibacterial properties and synergies

“…zinc ions, similar to that observed for other materials. [150][151][152][153][154][155][156][157] For example, g-C 3 N 4 -Zn 2+ @graphene oxide (SCN-Zn 2+ @GO) were prepared using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). 158 The bidentate ligand, SCN, may coordinate to the Zn 2+ ions to form cross-links with GO, and additionally changing the crystal structure of g-C 3 N 4 and introducing defect sites (Fig.…”