Investigating the Heteronjunction between ZnO/Fe(2)O(3) and g-C(3)N(4) for an Enhanced Photocatalytic H(2) production under visible-light irradiation

A series of ZnO/Fe(2)O(3)/g-C(3)N(4) photocatalysts were synthetized by impregnation of g-C(3)N(4) with Zn(NO(3))(2)·6H(2)O, and Fe(NO(3))(2)·9H(2)O followed by calcination. The morphology, chemical composition, and structure of the resulted materials were carefully analyzed by various characterization techniques. The photocatalytic performance of ZnO/Fe(2)O(3)/g-C(3)N(4) composites was evaluated based on the H(2) evolution from water splitting reaction. The results showed that the ZnO/Fe(2)O(3)/g-C(3)N(4) composite can effectively produce more H(2) than pure g-C(3)N(4) when irradiated under visible-light. H(2) production rate over 3-ZnO/Fe(2)O(3)/g-C(3)N(4) composite was of 25 μmol·h(−1), which is 4 times higher than that obtained in the presence of pure g-C(3)N(4), clearly showing a significant improvement of the photocatalytic activity of the prepared nanocomposite. This result was attributed to the formation of a heterojunction between g-C(3)N(4) and ZnO/Fe(2)O(3), which delayed the recombination of holes-electrons pairs and resulted in a remarkable increase in photocatalytic performance.