title: Dispersed conductive polymer nanoparticles on graphitic carbon nitride for enhanced solar-driven hydrogen evolution from pure water.
abstract: Developing new methods to improve the photocatalytic activity of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) for hydrogen (H₂) evolution has attracted intensive research interests. Here, we report that the g-C₃N₄ exhibits photocatalytic activity for H₂ evolution from pure water. And, the activity is dramatically improved by loading highly dispersed conductive polymer nanoparticles. The H₂ evolution rate increases up to 50 times for g-C₃N₄ with 1.5 wt% polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles on the surface. The reaction proceeding in a pure water system excludes the need for sacrificial agents. The role of the highly conductive PPy in enhancing H₂ evolution is as a surface junction to increase the number of photoinduced electrons, and to facilitate electron transfer to the interface.
authors.affiliation: i-Lab, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China. wchen2006@sinano.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sui
authors.forename: Jinghai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yuewei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xike
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D004579:Electron Transport; D004583:Electrons; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009570:Nitriles / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000737:chemistry*; D013472:Sunlight; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D009570:Nitriles; D011108:Polymers; D011758:Pyrroles; D014867:Water; C067635:polypyrrole; C011206:cyanogen; D006859:Hydrogen