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In Situ Solid‐State Synthesis of a AgNi/g‐C 3 N 4 Nanocomposite for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Activity
Author(s) -
Bhandary Nimai,
Singh Aadesh P.,
Kumar Sandeep,
Ingole Pravin P.,
Thakur Gohil S.,
Ganguli Ashok K.,
Basu Suddhasatwa
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201600740
Subject(s) - photocurrent , materials science , photocatalysis , graphitic carbon nitride , nanocomposite , rhodamine b , nanoparticle , chemical engineering , water splitting , alloy , nanotechnology , catalysis , optoelectronics , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , engineering
A graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ) polymer matrix was embedded with AgNi alloy nanoparticles using a simple and direct in situ solid‐state heat treatment method to develop a novel AgNi/g‐C 3 N 4 photocatalyst. The characterization confirms that the AgNi alloy particles are homogeneously distributed throughout the g‐C 3 N 4 matrix. The catalyst shows excellent photoelectrochemical activity for water splitting with a maximum photocurrent density of 1.2 mA cm −2 , which is the highest reported for doped g‐C 3 N 4 . Furthermore, a detailed experimental study of the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye using doped g‐C 3 N 4 showed the highest reported degradation efficiency of approximately 95 % after 90 min. The electronic conductivity increased upon incorporation of AgNi alloy nanoparticles on g‐C 3 N 4 and the material showed efficient charge carrier separation and transfer characteristics, which are responsible for the enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance under visible light.