title: In Situ Solid-State Synthesis of a AgNi/g-C3N4Nanocomposite for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical and Photocatalytic Activity.
abstract: A graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) polymer matrix was embedded with AgNi alloy nanoparticles using a simple and direct in situ solid-state heat treatment method to develop a novel AgNi/g-C3N4photocatalyst. The characterization confirms that the AgNi alloy particles are homogeneously distributed throughout the g-C3N4matrix. The catalyst shows excellent photoelectrochemical activity for water splitting with a maximum photocurrent density of 1.2 mA cm-2, which is the highest reported for doped g-C3N4. Furthermore, a detailed experimental study of the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye using doped g-C3N4showed the highest reported degradation efficiency of approximately 95 % after 90 min. The electronic conductivity increased upon incorporation of AgNi alloy nanoparticles on g-C3N4and the material showed efficient charge carrier separation and transfer characteristics, which are responsible for the enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance under visible light.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-, 110016, India.|Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-, 110016, India.
authors.forename: Nimai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhandary
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-, 110016, India. aadshp1982@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aadesh P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-, 110016, India.
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-, 110016, India. ppingole@chemistry.iitd.ac.in.
authors.forename: Pravin P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Ingole
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-, 110016, India.
authors.forename: Gohil S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Thakur
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-, 110016, India.|Institute of Nano Science & Technology, Mohali, Punjab-, 160062, India.
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ganguli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-, 110016, India. sbasu@iitd.ac.in.
authors.forename: Suddhasatwa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basu
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009532:Nickel / Q000737:chemistry*; D009570:Nitriles / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D033362:Powder Diffraction; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000737:chemistry; D018030:Silver Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
chemical_list: D009570:Nitriles; D012235:Rhodamines; D018030:Silver Compounds; C011206:cyanogen; D009532:Nickel; C029773:rhodamine B
keywords: g-C3N4; metal doping; photocatalysis; photoelectrochemistry; water splitting