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Synthesis of KNbO3/g-C3N4 composite and its new application in photocatalytic H2 generation under visible light irradiation

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High-performance KNbO3/g-C3N4 composite was prepared via a feasible method and first applied in photocatalytic H2 production from water–methanol solution under irradiation of visible light. The structure and optical property of the synthesized composite were investigated by various techniques, including XRD, XPS, FT-IR, TEM, SEM, DRS, PL, and an electrochemical method. Results indicated that the combining of KNbO3 with g-C3N4 did not affect the optical absorption. However, strong interaction between the two semiconductors was observed, which promotes the fabrication of a heterojunction structure and subsequently improves the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Hence, KNbO3/g-C3N4 photocatalyst displayed obviously higher photoactivity than pristine g-C3N4. The photocatalytic hydrogen production rate for the optimal KNbO3/g-C3N4 composite (7.4 wt% KNbO3/g-C3N4) is 180 μmol g −1cat  h−1, which is about 3.0 times that of pristine g-C3N4. Cycling tests further proved that KNbO3/g-C3N4 showed good photocatalytic stability. Additionally, the effect of hole sacrificial agent on the photocatalytic activity was also investigated. The KNbO3/g-C3N4 sample showed better performance in the presence of methanol than triethanolamine or EDTA-Na.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province in China (LY16B030002, LY14B030002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China

    Jinxiong Yu, Zhiqiang Chen, Yuyin Ma, Zhe Feng & Yiming He

  2. Institute of Physical Chemistry, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China

    Ying Wu & Leihong Zhao

  3. College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, China

    Hongjun Lin

  4. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, 80401, USA

    Yan Wang

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  1. Jinxiong Yu
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  3. Yan Wang
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Correspondence to Yiming He.

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Yu, J., Chen, Z., Wang, Y. et al. Synthesis of KNbO3/g-C3N4 composite and its new application in photocatalytic H2 generation under visible light irradiation. J Mater Sci 53, 7453–7465 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-018-2119-5

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