CoxP/Hollow Porous C3N4 as Highly Efficient Schottky Contact Photocatalyst for H2 Evolution from Water Splitting

Photocatalytic water splitting to obtain hydrogen energy can transform low-density solar to high density, new and clean energy in a clean way, which is one of the ideal ways to solve the energy crisis and environmental pollution. In this paper, The Co_xP/hollow porous C₃N₄ composite photocatalytic material was synthesized by simple methods. The photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of Co_xP/hollow porous C₃N₄ reaches 1602 μmol g^?1 h^?1, which is 151 times of that of pure C₃N₄. The reasons for the high photocatalytic H₂ evolution activity of Co_xP/hollow porous C₃N₄ could be summarized as follows: (1) the hollow and porous structure of C₃N₄ shows higher light capture efficiency, larger specific surface area and more surface active sites. (2) metalloid Co_xP loaded forms the Schottky contact with C₃N₄, which improves the photogenerated charges separation efficiency of C₃N₄, prolongs the photogenerated charges lifetime and improves the photocatalytic H₂ evolution activity of C₃N₄. (3) The higher conductivity of metalloid Co_xP and the lower overpotential of hydrogen production are other reasons for the higher activity of photocatalytic hydrogen production of Co_xP/hollow porous C₃N₄. This work provides an important role for the design of efficient, stable, and efficient construction of photocatalysts for solar energy conversion.