Synergistic effects of Tin sulfide Nitrogen-doped titania Nanobelt-Modified graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets with outstanding photocatalytic activity.

Designing efficient ternary nanostructures is a feasible approach for energy production under simulated solar irradiation. In this study, excellent photoexcited charge carrier separation and enhanced visible-light response were achieved with nitrogen-doped titania nanobelts (N-TNBs), whose 1D geometry facilitated the fabrication of a heterostructure with SnS ₂ on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C ₃ N ₄ ). We established the design of SnS ₂ @N-TNB and SnS ₂ @N-TNB/g-C ₃ N ₄ heterostructures by in situ hydrothermal and ultrasonication processes, and achieved commendable simulated solar light driven photocatalytic H ₂ generation. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analysis revealed a red shift in the absorption spectra of the SnS ₂ @N-TNB and SnS ₂ @N-TNB/g-C ₃ N ₄ samples. The H ₂ produced via SnS ₂ @N-TNB-10/g-C ₃ N ₄ (6730.8 µmol/g/h) was 2.6 times higher than that produced by SnS ₂ @N-TNB (2515.1 µmol/g/h), and 299 times higher than that produced by N-TNB (22.5 µmol/g/h). The improved photocatalytic H ₂ production was attributed to the maximum interface contact between SnS ₂ @N-TNB and g-C ₃ N ₄ , and to the improved visible-light absorption and effective charge-carrier separation. Therefore, the present study provides novel insights for combining the advantages of ternary materials to improve the conversion of solar energy to H ₂ fuel.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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