Boosting the Photocatalytic Performance of g-C3N4 through MoS2 Nanotubes with the Cavity Enhancement Effect.

ABSTRACT

The development of catalysts with high photon utilization efficiency is crucial for enhancing the catalytic performance of photocatalysts. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a prominent material in the field of photocatalysis. However, it still exhibits drawbacks such as low utilization of visible light and severe recombination of photogenerated carriers. To address these issues, this study employs MoS2 nanotubes (NTs) as cocatalysts and constructs MoS2 NTs/g-C3N4. The MoS2 NTs/g-C3N4 exhibits a significant cavity enhancement effect through multiple light reflections. This results in a broad spectral absorption range and high photon utilization efficiency, while also reducing the recombination of photogenerated carriers. The photocatalyst demonstrates outstanding performance in both photocatalytic hydrogen production and photodegradation of organic pollutants. Specifically, the hydrogen production rate is 1921 µmol·g-1·h-1, which is approximately 2.4 times that of g-C3N4. Furthermore, the photodegradation rate of Rhodamine B reaches 98.6% within 30 min, which is approximately three times higher than that of g-C3N4. Free radical capture experiments confirm that holes (h+) are the primary active species in photodegradation. A plausible photocatalytic mechanism for the catalyst is proposed. This study provides valuable insights into the development of heterojunction photocatalysts with high photon utilization efficiency.