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Research Article

Sodium-doped carbon nitride nanotubes for efficient visible light-driven hydrogen production

Longshuai Zhang1,3, Ning Ding1,3, Muneaki Hashimoto2, Koudai Iwasaki2, Noriyasu Chikamori2, Kazuya Nakata2, Yuzhuan Xu1,3, Jiangjian Shi1,3, Huijue Wu1,3, Yanhong Luo1,3, Dongmei Li1,3( ), Akira Fujishima2( ), Qingbo Meng1,3( )
Key Laboratory for Renewable EnergyChinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)Beijing Key Laboratory for New Energy Materials and DevicesBeijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter PhysicsInstitute of PhysicsCASBeijing100190China
Photocatalysis International Research CenterResearch Institute for Science and TechnologyTokyo University of Science2641 YamazakiNoda, Chiba278-0022Japan
School of Physical SciencesUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
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Graphical Abstract

Abstract

Sodium-doped carbon nitride nanotubes (Nax -CNNTs) were prepared by a green and simple two-step method and applied in photocatalytic water splitting for the first time. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) element mapping and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements confirm that sodium was successfully introduced in the carbon nitride nanotubes (CNNTs), and the intrinsic structure of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was also maintained in the products. Moreover, the porous structure of the CNNTs leads to relatively large specific surface areas. Photocatalytic tests indicate that the porous tubular structure and Na+ doping can synergistically enhance the hydrogen evolution rate under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation in the presence of sacrificial agents, leading to a hydrogen evolution rate as high as 143 μmol·h-1 (20 mg catalyst). Moreover, other alkali metal-doped CNNTs, such as Lix -CNNTs and Kx -CNNTs, were tested; both materials were found to enhance the hydrogen evolution rate, but to a lower extent compared with the Nax -CNNTs. This highlights the general applicability of the present method to prepare alkali metal-doped CNNTs; a preliminary mechanism for the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction in the Nax -CNNTs is also proposed.

Keywords

graphitic carbon nitridesnanotubesalkali metal dopingphotocatalytic hydrogen productionhydrothermal/thermopolymerization processestwo-step synthesis

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Nano Research
Volume 11 Issue 4,
April 2018
Pages 2295-2309
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-017-1853-3
Cite this article:
Zhang L, Ding N, Hashimoto M, et al. Sodium-doped carbon nitride nanotubes for efficient visible light-driven hydrogen production. Nano Research, 2018, 11(4): 2295-2309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1853-3

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Received: 19 May 2017
Revised: 04 September 2017
Accepted: 15 September 2017
Published: 19 March 2018
© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2017
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