Cobalt@nitrogen-doped bamboo-structured carbon nanotube to boost photocatalytic hydrogen evolution on carbon nitride

Abstract

Rational design of high-efficiency and low-cost photo catalyst/cocatalyst systems is an effective strategy to realize high-performance photocatalytic hydrogen production from water, but remains still a great challenge. Herein, we report a new coatalyst based on ultra long bamboo-structured nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (CNCNT) encapsulated with cobalt nanoparticles to couple with g-C₃N₄ photo catalyst in realizing a greatly enhanced photocatalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Taking advantages in effective electro catalytic HER activity, diversified spatial location and rapid interfacial charge transfer, the resulting g-C₃N₄/CNCNT exhibits significantly improved photocatalytic activity with a hydrogen evolution rate of 1208 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ in triethanolamine solution, achieving about 172-fold enhancement compared with pristine g-C₃N₄. More importantly, g-C₃N4₄/CNCNT can photo catalytically decompose pure water with hydrogen evolution amount of about 92.3 μmol g⁻¹ within 4 h.