An experimental study on the Co–C3N4/BiPO4 composite for efficient photocatalytic water splitting

The Co–C3N4/BiPO4 photocatalyst is facilely synthesized for application in photocatalytic water splitting. The physical and chemical properties of Co–C3N4/BiPO4 are studied by a wide range of characterization methods. The Co–CN/BP photocatalyst shows good photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution by water splitting without using a noble metal. The Co–C3N4/BiPO4 composite with 5 wt% Co–C3N4 loading exhibits a superior photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of 23.9 μmol h−1 g−1. The remarkable enhancement of the photocatalytic H2 evolution activity of Co–C3N4/BiPO4 composites is mainly ascribed to the effective charge transfer and separation of the electron–hole pairs by the lattice-matched heterojunction structure. This work extends opportunities for the design of non-noble metal photocatalysts with efficient photocatalytic water splitting.