In-situ synthesis of Z-scheme V2O3/S-doped g-C3N4 heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

A V2O3/S-doped g-C3N4 (SCN) heterojunction was prepared using a single-step thermal polycondensation. V2O3 was tightly anchored on SCN, in which suitable band matching between them realized the Z-scheme heterojunction construction. The V2O3/SCN heterojunction not only increased the absorption of visible light, but also demonstrated the effective charge carrier separation and excellent reduction ability. The as-obtained VOSCN-1 showed a high photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate at 2.456 mmol g−1h−1, which was 14.8 times higher than of the pristine g-C3N4. Meanwhile, it exhibited a good photocatalytic ability and structural stability in the cycling test. Experimental and theoretical investigations confirmed the Z-Scheme mechanism in VOSCN heterojunction. Our findings may present an effective strategy to design highly capable Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts.