Visible Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution by g-C₃N₄/SrZrO₃ Heterostructure Material

A heterostructure material g-C₃N₄/SrZrO₃ was simply prepared by grinding and heating the mixture of SrZrO₃ and g-C₃N₄. The morphology and structure of the synthesized photocatalysts were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and infrared spectra. It showed visible light absorption ability and much higher photocatalytic activity than that of pristine g-C₃N₄ or SrZrO₃. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the hydrogen production efficiency is 1222 μmol·g^-1·h^-1 and 34 μmol·g^-1·h^-1 under ultraviolet light irradiation and visible light irradiation, respectively. It is attributed to the higher separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes between the cooperation of g-C₃N₄ and SrZrO₃, which is demonstrated by photocurrent measurements.