Z-scheme LaCoO3/C3N5 for efficient full-spectrum light-simulated solar photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Abstract

The development of photocatalysts with high activity and low cost is still a major challenge. Since its synthesis in 2019, C₃N₅ has become an emerging photocatalytic material and has been widely studied. In this work, we report on the preparation of LaCoO₃/C₃N₅ nanosheets and the use of LaCoO₃ instead of precious metals to improve photocatalytic hydrogen production activity. First, LaCoO₃ was successfully prepared by the sol–gel method and then a series of high-efficiency Z-type LaCoO₃/C₃N₅ heterojunction photocatalysts were synthesized by the solvothermal method. Various characterization techniques (XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, UV-Vis DRS, BET, ESR) confirmed the formation between LaCoO₃ nanoparticles and C₃N₅ nanosheet heterostructures and interface interactions. In the photocatalytic water split test, 50 wt% LaCoO₃/C₃N₅ showed the highest photocatalytic activity of 956.11 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹, which was 3.21 and 1.59 times that of LaCoO₃ and C₃N₅, respectively. This work not only designs an inexpensive and efficient LaCoO₃/C₃N₅ photocatalytic system for water splitting or other photocatalytic applications, but also provides ideas for constructing new material photocatalytic systems.