Structure modulation of g-C(3)N(4) in TiO(2){001}/g-C(3)N(4) hetero-structures for boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Structure design of photocatalysts is highly desirable for taking full advantage of their abilities for H(2) evolution. Herein, the highly-efficient TiO(2){001}/g-C(3)N(4) (TCN) heterostructures have been fabricated successfully via an in situ ethanol-thermal method. And the structure of g-C(3)N(4) in the TCN heterostructures could be exfoliated from bulk g-C(3)N(4) to nanosheets, nanocrystals and quantum dots with the increase of the synthetic temperature. Through detailed characterization, the structural evolution of g-C(3)N(4) could be attributed to the enhanced temperature of the ethanol-thermal treatment with the shear effects of HF acid. As expected, the optimal TCN-2 heterostructure shows excellent photocatalytic H(2) evolution efficiency (1.78 mmol h(−1) g(−1)) under visible-light irradiation. Except for the formed built-in electric field, the significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of TCN-2 could be ascribed to the enhanced crystallinity of TiO(2){001} nanosheets and the formed g-C(3)N(4) nanocrystals with large surface area, which could extend the visible light absorption, and expedite the transfer of photo-generated charge carriers further. Our work could provide guidance on designing TCN heterostructures with the desired structure for highly-efficient photocatalytic water splitting.