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Facile Synthesis of Zn Doped g-C3N4 for Enhanced Visible Light Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

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Abstract

The present work reports a facile strategy to develop L-arginine mediated Zn doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and its enhanced photocatalytic activity. The physicochemical properties of Zn-doped g-C3N4 were studied extensively by XPS, UV–Vis, XRD, SEM and BET analysis. The studied properties of the photocatalyst were then correlated with its photocatalytic hydrogen production rates. Zn doping was evidenced by the presence of Zn-N peak from high-resolution core level XPS spectral analysis. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution experiments revealed that, upon Zn doping, the hydrogen production rate of g-C3N4 was increased from 34.6 to 78.7 µmol/g.h, i.e. 2.3 times more. The enhancement in the photocatalytic properties after Zn doping was addressed by estimating changes in the positions of conduction band minimum and valence band maximum through XPS valence band spectral analysis.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank “Dra. Maura Casales Diaz” and “Jose Juan Ramos-Hernandez” from ICF, UNAM and “Miguel Jesús Melendez Zaragoza” from CIMAV for their support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigación de Ciencia Y Tecnología Aplicada de Tabasco (CICTAT), Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, C.P. 86690, Cunduacán, Tabasco, México

    M. O. Fuentez-Torres, A. Cervantes-Uribe & J. G. Torres-Torres

  2. Centro de Investigación de Ciencia Y Tecnología Aplicada de Tabasco (CICTAT), Cátedras Conacyt–Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, C.P. 86690, Cunduacán, Tabasco, México

    F. Ortiz-Chi, C. G. Espinosa-González & S. Godavarthi

  3. Centro de Nanociencias Y Micro Y Nanotecnologías, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México City, México

    M. Aleman

  4. Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, C.P 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México

    M. K. Kesarla & L. Martínez-Gómez

  5. Departamento de Ingeniería Y Química de Materiales, Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Miguel de Cervantes 120, Chihuahua, Chih, 31136, México

    V. Collins-Martínez

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  1. M. O. Fuentez-Torres
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  6. J. G. Torres-Torres
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Correspondence to M. K. Kesarla or S. Godavarthi.

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Fuentez-Torres, M.O., Ortiz-Chi, F., Espinosa-González, C.G. et al. Facile Synthesis of Zn Doped g-C3N4 for Enhanced Visible Light Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production. Top Catal 64, 65–72 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11244-020-01298-9

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