A Metal-Organic-Framework-Derived g-C3N4/α-Fe2O3 Hybrid for Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic.

As one of the most efficient systems for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, the Z-scheme system consisting of different semiconductors with a reversible donor-acceptor pair has attracted great attention. Considering for the nontoxicity and low cost of photocatalysts, a series of g-C3N4/α-Fe2O3 hybrids were rationally constructed based on the Z-scheme mechanism for the first time using a metal-organic framework template approach that can fine-tune the compositions and properties of the hybrids. An optimized hybrid, g-C3N4/α-Fe2O3-2, exhibited prominent photocatalytic water splitting performance with a visible light response. Under irradiation of visible light (λ > 420 nm), the hybrid shows a high durability and superior hydrogen production rate of 2066.2 μmol g-1 h-1 from water splitting, which is approximately three times greater than that of bulk g-C3N4 because of the effective separation of photo-excited charge carriers by two narrow bandgap semiconductors tightly coupled with the Z-scheme structural feature.