Influence of C3N4 precursors on photoelectrochemical behavior of TiO2/C3N4 photoanode for solar water oxidation

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is considered as a long-term solution for the ever-increasing energy demands. Various strategies have been employed to improve the traditional TiO2 photoanode. In this study, TiO2 nanorods were decorated by graphitic carbon nitride (C3N4) derived from di_erent precursors such as thiourea, melamine, and a mixture of thiourea and melamine. Photoelectrochemical activity of TiO2/C3N4 photoanode can be modified by tuning the number of precursors used to synthesize C3N4. C3N4 derived from the mixture of melamine and thiourea in TiO2/C3N4 photoanode showed photocurrent density as high as 2.74 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE. C3N4 synthesized by thiourea showed particle-like morphology, while melamine and melamine with thiourea derived C3N4 yielded two dimensional (2D) nanosheets. Nanosheet-like C3N4 showed higher photoelectrochemical performance than that of particle-like nanostructures as specific surface area, and the redox ability of nanosheets are believed to be superior to particle-like nanostructures. TiO2/C3N4 displayed excellent photostability up to 20 h under continuous illumination. Thiourea plays an important role in enhancing the photoelectrochemical performance of TiO2/C3N4. This study emphasizes the fact that the improved photoelectrochemical performance can be achieved by varying the precursors of C3N4 in TiO2/C3N4 heterojunction. This is the first report to show the influence of C3N4 precursors on photoelectrochemical performance in TiO2/C3N4 systems. This would pave the way to explore different precursors influence on C3N4 with respect to the photoelectrochemical response of TiO2/C3N4 heterojunction photoanode.