Photocatalytic water splitting to simultaneously produce H2 and H2O2 by two-electron reduction process over Pt loaded Na+ introduced g-C3N4 catalyst

In this work, Pt loaded Na+ doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) catalyst for photocatalytic water splitting to produce H-2 and H2O2 simultaneously without any sacrificial agent was prepared for the first time. Both products are high-value chemicals and in gas-liquid two phases, which avoid the trouble of separation. XRD, N-2 adsorption, UV-Vis, SEM, TEM, PL, XPS and ESR were used to characterize the as-prepared catalysts. The CB and VB of as-prepared catalysts can be adjusted from -1.22 V and + 1.46 V for g-C3N4 to - 0.06 V and + 2.42 V for NaCN [9] by controlling the Na+ concentration. The reaction result indicates that a moderate band position is significantly important for effective photocatalytic water splitting to simultaneously produce H-2 and H2O2. After loading of Pt to promote the electron-hole separation efficiency, Pt-NaCN [6] displays the optimal H-2 and H2O2 production abilities of 900 mu mol.g(-1).h(-1) and 880 mu mol.g(-1), simultaneously. This work opens a new window for photocatalytic water splitting research.