Bimetallic ZnNi co-catalyst modified g-C3N4 nanosheets for highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

In this work, bimetallic ZnNi/g-C3N4 (ZnNi/CN) photocatalysts prepared by chemical reduction method were investigated for their photocatalytic hydrogen production activity, and it was found that the addition of the bimetallic ZnNi promotes the reactive active site, improves the charge transfer efficiency, and inhibits the ability of photogenerated electron-hole complexes effectively. Therefore, the 3% ZnNi/CN photocatalyst with the best hydrogen production activity can produce up to 1822.75 mu mol g- 1 h- 1 of hydrogen, which is 56.8 times higher than that of the conventional g-C3N4 (CN) photocatalyst. The results suggest that the effective combination of bimetallic ZnNi and CN materials can enhance the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production. This work demonstrates the great potential of bimetallic co-catalysts and provides new insights into the efficient hydrogen production by modified CN nanosheets.