Surface Modification of Carbon Nitride Polymers by Core-Shell Nickel/Nickel Oxide Cocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Photocatalysis

Ni/NiO core-shell cocatalysts have been prepared on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride by a facile insitu immersion strategy to promote photocatalytic H-2 evolution activity under the light irradiation of the conjugated polymer. The physicochemical properties of the as-prepared hybridized materials were characterized by several techniques, which include XRD, UV-Raman spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, to investigate the composition, texture, surface properties, and optical properties of the samples. In comparison with an unmodified carbon nitride polymer, the Ni/NiO-decorated sample shows an increased photocatalytic H-2 evolution rate and good durability because of the promoted surface kinetics that increase the charge-transfer rate and reduce the overpotential for H-2 evolution dramatically.