Significantly influenced photocatalytic performance for H2O2 generation over ultrathin g-C3N4 through regulating the migration orientation of photogenerated charge carriers

Spatial Specific Janus S-Scheme Photocatalyst with Enhanced H2 O2 Production Performance

Photocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for H₂ O₂ production in the absence of sacrificing agents is a green approach and of great significance, where the design of photocatalysts with high performance is the central task. Herein, a spatial specific S-scheme heterojunction design by introducing a novel semiconducting pair with a S-scheme mechanism in a purpose-designed Janus core-shell-structured hollow morphology is reported. In this design, TiO₂ nanocrystals are grown inside the inner wall of resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resin hollow nanocakes with a reverse bumpy ball morphology (TiO₂ @RF). The S-scheme heterojunction preserves the high redox ability of the TiO₂ and RF pair, the spatial specific Janus design enhances the charge separation, promotes active site exposure, and reduces the H₂ O₂ decomposition to a large extent. The TiO₂ @RF photocatalyst shows a high H₂ O₂ yield of 66.6 mM g^-1  h^-1 and solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency of 1.11%, superior to another Janus structure (RF@TiO₂ ) with the same heterojunction but a reversed Janus spatial arrangement, and most reported photocatalysts under similar reaction conditions. The work has paved the way toward the design of next-generation photocatalysts for green synthesis of H₂ O₂ production.

Synergistic effects of holey nanosheet and sulfur-doping on the photocatalytic activity of carbon nitride towards NO removal

Photocatalysis provides a sustainable way for NOx elimination. However, efficient and safe photocatalytic removal of NOx remain a great challenge due to the limited light-harvesting ability and quick recombination of charge carriers. Herein, holey sulfur-doped g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (CNN-S) was reported by directly calcining a mixture of hydrolyzed dicyandiamide and thioacetamide. The specific surface area of the pristine g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (CNN-S0) is 3-4 times higher than bulk g-C₃N₄ (BCN), and the photocatalytic NO removal rate also increased from 17% (BCN) to 35% (CNN-S0). The effect of sulfur content on the photocatalytic performance was systematic studied, and CNN-S0.5 sample exhibits the highest NO removal rate (53%). The high photoreactivity of S-doped g-C₃N₄ nanosheets can be attributed to enhanced visible light absorption, increased specific surface area, and effective separation and transfer of photo-generated charges owing to the synergistic effect of the nanosheet structure and sulfur doping. In addition, density functional theory calculations show that the doping of S is also beneficial to the adsorption and activation of the reactants on CN.

Self-Regulating Solar Steam Generators Enable Volatile Organic Compound Removal through In Situ H2O2 Generation

Interfacial solar steam generation for clean water production suffers from volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination during solar-to-steam conversion. Here, we present a solar steam generator based on the integration of melamine foam (MF), polydopamine (PDA), and Ag/AgCl particles. Together with the high photothermal conversion efficiency (ca. 87.8%, 1 kW/m²) achieved by the PDA thin film, the Ag/AgCl particles can efficiently activate the localized generation of H₂O₂ and •OH in situ, thus degrading the VOCs during the rapid vapor generation. The generation of H₂O₂ and •OH in situ also facilitates the creation of a buffer zone containing H₂O₂ and •OH for the rapid removal of organic pollutants in the surrounding water attracted to the solar vapor generator, demonstrating a self-cleaning steam generator toward various volatile compounds such as phenol, aniline, 2,4-dichlorophenol, and N,N-dimethylformamide in a wide range of concentrations.