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Research Article

Electrostatic self-assembly of 2D/2D CoWO4/g-C3N4 p–n heterojunction for improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: Built-in electric field modulated charge separation and mechanism unveiling

Haiyang Wang1,§, Ranran Niu1,§, Jianhui Liu1, Sheng Guo2( ), Yongpeng Yang1, Zhongyi Liu1, Jun Li1( )
Henan Institute of Advanced Technology, College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China

§ Haiyang Wang and Ranran Niu contributed equally to this work.

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Graphical Abstract

An 2D/2D p–n heterojunction was successfully synthesized by self-assembled strategy for efficient photocatalytic H2 generation. This work demonstrates a high-efficient p–n heterojunction photocatalyst with II-scheme charge migration pathway and paves the way to design highly active p–n junction photocatalysts for H2 generation.

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor heterojunctions are considered as an effective strategy to achieve fast separation of photoinduced carriers. Herein, a novel CoWO4/g-C3N4 (CWO/CN) p–n junction was synthesized using an electrostatic self-assembly method. The constructed 2D/2D p–n heterostructure had a rich hetero-interface, increased charge density, and fast separation efficiency of photoinduced carriers. The in-situ Kelvin probe force microscopy confirmed that the separation pathway of photoinduced carriers through the interface obeyed an II-scheme charge transfer mechanism. Experimental results and density functional theory calculations indicated the differences of work function between CWO and CN induced the generation of built-in electric field, ensuring an efficient separation and transfer process of photoinduced carriers. Under the optimized conditions, the CWO/CN heterojunction displayed enhanced photocatalytic H2 generation activity under full spectrum and visible lights irradiation, respectively. Our study provides a novel approach to design 2D/2D hetero-structured photocatalysts based on p–n type semiconductor for photocatalytic H2 generation.

Keywords

p–n junctioninterfacial charge transfertwo-dimensional/two-dimensionalphotocatalytic H2 generation CoWO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction

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Nano Research
Volume 15 Issue 8,
August 2022
Pages 6987-6998
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-022-4329-z
Cite this article:
Wang H, Niu R, Liu J, et al. Electrostatic self-assembly of 2D/2D CoWO4/g-C3N4 p–n heterojunction for improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: Built-in electric field modulated charge separation and mechanism unveiling. Nano Research, 2022, 15(8): 6987-6998. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4329-z
Topics:
Photocatalysts

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Received: 25 January 2022
Revised: 25 February 2022
Accepted: 14 March 2022
Published: 11 May 2022
© Tsinghua University Press 2022
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