In situ growing Cu2(OH)2CO3 on oxidized carbon nitride with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant degradation.

A novel composite has been successfully synthesized in situ via a coprecipitation method about the coupling of Cu 2 (OH) 2 CO 3 with oxidized carbon nitride (O-g-C 3 N 4) forming Cu 2 (OH) 2 CO 3 /O-g-C 3 N 4 (CuCN) heterojunction structure. The as-prepared composites were characterized by diverse means. The CuCN composite with 3:5 mass ratio of Cu 2 (OH) 2 CO 3 to O-g-C 3 N 4 (60CuCN) presented an extremely excellent photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic H 2 evolution of 60CuCN was around 23.26 and 44.62 times higher than that of g-C 3 N 4 and Cu 2 (OH) 2 CO 3 , respectively. The photocatalytic degradation malachite green (MG) rate of 60CuCN was up to 91%, which was around 2.2 and 4.8 times as much as that of g-C 3 N 4 and Cu 2 (OH) 2 CO 3 , respectively. These results are mainly attributed to the structure property of O-g-C 3 N 4 and the heterojunction structure of the composite, which could effectively accelerate the separation and transfer rate of photogenerated electrons and holes. The holes (h+) and superoxide radicals (·O 2 −) played a dominant role in photocatalytic degradation MG reaction. • CuCN was synthesized using O-g-C 3 N 4 in situ via a coprecipitation method. • 60CuCN presented an extremely excellent photocatalytic activity. • The OCN possessed a larger BET surface area and narrower band gap than bulk g-C 3 N 4. • The CuCN heterojunction structure accounted for enhanced photocatalytic activity. • The possible mechanism was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]