Synthesis of g-C <sub>3</sub> N <sub>4</sub> /TiO <sub>2</sub> -based photocatalysts for hydrogen production from organic substrates
Here, for the first time, a study of composite graphitic carbon nitride photocatalysts based on laboratory synthesized TiO<sub>2</sub> (g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub>) for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from aqueous solutions of organic substrates under visible light irradiation is presented. The methods to synthesize TiO<sub>2</sub> and g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>/TiO<sub>2</sub> include precipitation and hydrothermal routes, followed by calcination. A comparison of the synthetic approaches was carried out using a variety of electron donor systems (glucose, ethanol and triethanolamine). The highest HER activity is achieved with a photocatalyst containing 10 wt% g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> on TiO<sub>2</sub>, obtained by precipitation. Pt- and Cu-modified photocatalysts exhibit hydrogen evolution rates of 161 and 34 µmol h<sup>-1</sup> g<sup>-1</sup>, respectively, in aqueous glucose solution. This enhanced performance originates from the successful formation of effective heterojunctions between g-C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> and the different phases of TiO<sub>2</sub>, as well as the material sensitivity to both visible and UV light.
Authors
- D.D. Mishchenko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8822-5148)
- Egor E. Aydakov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7730-7655)
- Sofiya Kharina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9399-0231)
- Anna Yu. Kurenkova
- E. A. Kozlova
- E. Gerasimov
Institutions
- Boreskov Institute of Catalysis (RU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Acta Crystallographica Section B Structural Science Crystal Engineering and Materials
- Published
- 2026-02-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1107/s2052520626000326
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00