TPPH/g-C3N4 Nanohybrids Constructed with Surfactant-Assisted Co-Assembly for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

A new type of pure organic 5,10,15,20-tetra (4-hydroxyphenyl) porphyrin (TPPH)/ g -C 3 N 4 nanohybrid was prepared to expand the light absorption range of graphitic carbon nitride materials. The morphology and structure of the composites were systematically characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results show that after the introduction of TPPH, the visible light area optical absorption of the composite sample increased significantly under the noncovalent interaction of TPPH and g -C 3 N 4 , and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and I – T measurements confirmed the improved charge separation efficiency of the sample and showed excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production capacity. Under full spectrum irradiation, the hydrogen production of 1.67% TPPH/ g -C 3 N 4 without adding co-catalyst reached 10.87 mmol ⋅ g − 1 ⋅ h − 1 , about 2.68 times that of pure g -C 3 N 4 (4.06 mmol ⋅ g − 1 ⋅ h − 1 ), which showed effective promotion of the electron transfer between TPPH and g -C 3 N 4 .