Search

The potential of utilizing sunlight to drive the production of clean hydrogen fuel from seawater is promising. This study focuses on the development of Ni 3 C/Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S Schottky junctions with superior visible-light absorption and effective separation of photogenerated carriers. The synthesized material demonstrates a hydrogen evolution rate of 6472.9 μmol h−1 g−1 in simulated seawater, surpassing that of a single Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S by 11-fold. Furthermore, the composite displays notable hydrogen evolution rates in various water sources such as natural river water, groundwater, and tap water, indicating enhanced practical utility. This research introduces a cost-effective and efficient hydrogen evolution photocatalyst with significant potential for practical implementation, thereby facilitating the efficient conversion of solar-hydrogen energy. [Display omitted] • Ni 3 C/Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S exhibits superb photocatalytic H 2 evolution in simulated seawater. • Ni 3 C/Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S exhibits accelerated the separation of photogenerated carriers. • Ni 3 C/Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S photocatalyst is cheap and easy to obtain. Solar-powered seawater production of clean hydrogen fuel is highly prospective. In this work, Ni 3 C/Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S (NCMCS) Schottky junctions with excellent visible-light correspondence and photogenerated carrier separation properties are constructed using electrostatic attraction. The material achieves a hydrogen evolution rate of 6472.9 μmol h−1 g−1 in simulated seawater, which is 11 times higher than that of a single Mn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S (MCS). More attractively, the composite exhibits excellent hydrogen evolution rates in natural river water, groundwater and tap water, with significantly enhanced practical applicability. The underlying hydrogen evolution mechanism was extrapolated from a combination of experimental and theoretical calculations. The present work provides a low-cost and efficient hydrogen evolution photocatalyst for practical application, which can help promote the efficient conversion of solar-hydrogen energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a sustainable process for ammonia synthesis under mild conditions. However, photocatalytic NRR activity and are generally limited by inefficient carrier separation and transfer. Therefore, parallel engineering of bulk phase doping and surface coupling is critical to achieving the goal of efficient NRR. In this study, Cl doped BiOBr nanosheet assemblies (BiOBr/Cl) were constructed in delicately designed deep eutectic solvents (DESs), combined with ionothermal methods at low temperatures and Bi3+ exsolution reduction strategy at high temperatures. The unique liquid state and reducibility of DESs induce the reduction of Bi3+ and the in situ coupling of Bi quantum dots at the surface of BiOBr/Cl nanosheets along with the construction of Bi-BiOBr/Cl nanosheet assemblies. The experimental results show that Cl doping could reduce the exciton dissociation energy and promote its dissociation to free carriers. Bi quantum dots could form tightly coupled Schottky junction with BiOBr/Cl enabling the efficient and unidirectional transmission of photogenerated electrons from BiOBr/Cl to metal Bi. The formed electron deficient region at Schottky interface promotes the adsorption and activation of N 2. The hierarchical structure of Bi-BiOBr/Cl nanosheet assembly benefits to providing more N 2 adsorption active sites. The DFT calculation shows that the accumulation of high concentration of active hydrogen in Bi-BiOBr/Cl leads to a significant decrease of energy barrier of the first step hydrogenation of N 2. Bi-BiOBr/Clis more inclined to adsorb nitrogen for NRR in comparison with H* for hydrogen production. The synergistic effect of Cl doping and Bi coupling result in a high NRR activity of Bi-BiOBr/Cl photocatalyst of 6.67 mmol·g−1·h−1, which was 11.3 times higher than that of initial BiOBr. This study provides a promising strategy for designing highly active NRR photocatalysts with high efficiency carrier dissociation and transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Preparation of novel Ag/g-C 3 N 5 nanoflower for degradation of multiple pollutants. • LSPR effect and electron transfer enhance the photocatalytic activity of g-C 3 N 5. • Various water quality parameters on photocatalytic performance were investigated. • ACN-1 demonstrates superior catalytic activity in real water samples. • Degradation pathways and ecotoxicity were analyzed by LCMS, Fukui index, T.E.S.T. The design of photocatalytic system with broad-spectrum response to sunlight and rapid electron transfer is critical for efficient destruction of diverse contaminants in various environmental situations. Herein, self-assembled supramolecular strategy was employed to anchor Ag nanoparticles on the nanoflower-like g-C 3 N 5 surface to construct Schottky-type catalyst (ACN-1) for efficient degradation of organic contaminants. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect significantly improves photocatalytic activity of materials by boosting rapid transfer of interlayer energy and photogenerated electrons and extending the absorption edge of catalysts into near-infrared light region. In actual water samples, ACN-1 entirely eliminated tetracycline (k = 1.0787 min−1) within 40 min and maintained high degradation rate (more than 80 %) under various water quality parameters. Furthermore, ACN-1 demonstrated remarkable suitability to microcystin-LR (98.9 %, k = 0.08098 min−1), sulfamethoxazole (81.2 %, k = 0.02984 min−1), and methylene blue (91.4 %, k = 0.04072 min−1). Quenching experiments and ESR tests showed that main active species in system were 1O 2 , •O 2 −, and h+. Finally, five photodegradation pathways and 26 intermediates of TC were elucidated by combining ESR signals, LC-MS and Fukui index. After photodegradation treatment, the toxicity of solution was drastically reduced and the mineralization reached 62.48 %. This study provides new insights into the design and interaction mechanisms of novel g-C 3 N 5 -based catalysts and effectively contributes to remediation strategies for emerging pollutants in water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]