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Boosting the performance of visible light‐driven WO 3 /g‐C 3 N 4 anchored with BiVO 4 nanoparticles for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Author(s) -
Bilal Tahir Muhammad,
Nadeem Riaz Khalid,
Asiri Abdullah M.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of energy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.808
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1099-114X
pISSN - 0363-907X
DOI - 10.1002/er.4673
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , materials science , scanning electron microscope , photoluminescence , transmission electron microscopy , visible spectrum , nanoparticle , spectroscopy , water splitting , hydrogen production , nanostructure , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , hydrogen , catalysis , optoelectronics , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , engineering , biochemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Summary In this article, a ternary WO 3 /g‐C 3 N 4 @ BiVO 4 composites were prepared using eco‐friendly hydrothermal method to produce efficient hydrogen energy through water in the presence of sacrificial agents. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐vis), Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) surface area, and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) emission spectroscopy. The experimental study envisages the formation of 2‐D nanostructures and observed that such kinds of nanostructures could provide more active sites for photocatalytic reduction of water and their inherent reactive‐species mechanism. The results showed the excellent photocatalytic performance (432 μmol h −1 g −1 ) for 1.5% BiVO 4 nanoparticles in WO 3 /g‐C 3 N 4 composite when compared with pure WO 3 and BiVO 4 . The optical properties and photocatalytic activity measurement confirmed that BiVO 4 nanoparticles in WO 3 /g‐C 3 N 4 photocatalyst inhibited the recombination of photogenerated electron and holes and enhanced the reduction reactions for H 2 production. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of the composite nanostructures may be attributed to wide absorption region of visible light, large surface area, and efficient separation of electrons/holes pairs owing to synergistic effects between BiVO 4 and WO 3 /g‐C 3 N 4 . The prepared samples would be a precise optimal photocatalyst to increase their suppliers for worldwide applications especially in energy harvesting.