Influence of C3N4 Precursors on Photoelectrochemical Behavior of TiO2/C3N4 Photoanode for Solar Water Oxidation

Energies

HoWon Jang¹  SwethaS. M. Bhat¹  SangEon Jun¹  SolA Lee¹  TaeHyung Lee¹ 

[1] Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Research Institute of Advanced Materials, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea;

关键词: photoelectrochemical;    tio₂;    c₃n₄;    heterojunction;    water oxidation;    photoanode;    nanosheets;    nanorods;   

DOI  :  10.3390/en13040974

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

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 different 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.

【 授权许可】

Unknown