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Charge generation and separation are two key issues in developing a high-efficiency semiconductor for the visible-light-driven photocatalysis. Here, we use the layered perovskite-type wide-gap semiconductor La2Ti2O7 (LTO) as a model to systematically explore the synergistic effect of doping (with sulfur or nitrogen) and heterojunction (with graphitic C3N4) on improving visible light absorption and photoexcited charge separation by means of density functional theory calculations. It is found that the anion (N or S) doping into the LTO(010) surface can not only shift the optical absorption edge to the visible region, but also creates some partially occupied or unoccupied states in the band gap that would facilitate the formation of recombination centers. For the purpose of promoting electron-hole separation, the (N or S-doped) LTO(010) surfaces were hybridized with the monolayer g-C3N4. Interestingly, we found that the (S-doped) LTO/g-C3N4 heterostructure forms a type-II heterojunction, with the valence band maximum residing in the (S-doped) LTO and the conduction band minimum in g-C3N4, respectively. This band alignment feature facilitates efficient electron-hole separation. Moreover, we found that the S-doped LTO/g-C3N4 composite has a short interfacial distance (about 2.1 angstrom), implying that the interfacial interaction of this composite might be a chemical bond rather than a weak van der Walls interaction. The chemical bonding can enhance charge separation. Our theoretical findings provide design principles for optimizing the photocatalytic performance of the wide-gap photocatalysts and demonstrate that the S-doped LTO/g-C3N4 composite would be a potential candidate for the photocatalysis of water splitting.
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ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
ISSN: 1944-8244
Year: 2018
Issue: 45
Volume: 10
Page: 39327-39335
8 . 4 5 6
JCR@2018
8 . 5 0 0
JCR@2023
ESI Discipline: MATERIALS SCIENCE;
ESI HC Threshold:284
JCR Journal Grade:1
CAS Journal Grade:2
Cited Count:
SCOPUS Cited Count: 17
ESI Highly Cited Papers on the List: 0 Unfold All
WanFang Cited Count:
Chinese Cited Count:
30 Days PV: 0
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