Co-MOF as an electron donor for promoting visible-light photoactivities of g-C3N4 nanosheets for CO2 reduction

A possible mechanism for boosting the visible-light photoactivities of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets for CO2 reduction via coupling with the electron donor Co-metal-organic framework (MOF) is proposed in this study. Specifically, Co-MOF as an electron donor is capable of transferring the photogenerated electrons in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) to the conduction band of g-C3N4 to facilitate charge separation. As expected, the prepared Co-MOF/g-C3N4 nanocomposites display excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic CO2 reduction activities. The CO production rate of 6.75 µmol g−1 h−1 and CH4 evolution rate of 5.47 µmol g−1 h−1 are obtained, which are approximately 2 times those obtained with the original g-C3N4 under the same conditions. Based on a series of analyses, it is shown that the introduction of Co-MOF not only broadens the range of visible-light absorption but also enhances the charge separation, which improves the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 to a higher level. In particular, the hydroxyl radical (•OH) experiment was operated under 590 nm (single-wavelength) irradiation, which further proved that the photogenerated electrons in the LUMO of Co-MOF can successfully migrate to g-C3N4. This work may provide an important strategy for the design of highly efficient g-C3N4-based photocatalysts for CO2 reduction.