Heterostructured d-Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2/ g-C 3 N 4 Nanocomposites with Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production Activity

Abstract

The construction of a 2D–2D heterostructured composite is an efficient method to improve the photocatalytic hydrogen generation capability under visible light. In this work, simple heat treatment of a mixture of g-C 3 N 4 and delaminated Ti 3 C 2 was used to prepare a series of d-Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 nanocomposites. The d-Ti 3 C 2 not only acted as the support layer and resource to glue the anatase TiO 2 particles and g-C 3 N 4 layers together but also served as the fast electron transfer channel to improve the photogenerated charge carriers’ separation efficiency. By tuning the g-C 3 N 4 /d-Ti 3 C 2 mass ratio, heating temperature and soaking time, the d-Ti 3 C 2 /TiO 2 /g-C 3 N 4 nanocomposite 4-1-350-1 achieved an excellent H 2 evolution rate of 1.62 mmol h −1 g −1 driven by a 300 W Xe lamp with a 420 nm cutoff filter. The heterostructured composite photocatalyst was stable even after 3 cycles, representing excellent potential for the practical application in solar energy conversion.