Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of 2D/2D N-Sn3O4/g-C3N4 S-scheme heterojunction under visible light irradiation

N-Sn3O4 has been reported as a photocatalyst for hydrogen production. In this study, 2D N-Sn3O4 nanosheets and 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets were combined by hydrothermal method to prepare 2D/2D N-Sn3O4/CN-x heterojunction with different component ratios. Photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of N-Sn3O4/CN-3 under visible light reached 1788 μmol h−1 g−1, which was 25 times and 1.5 times higher than that of N-Sn3O4 (72 μmol h−1 g−1) and g-C3N4 (1202 μmol h−1 g−1), respectively. The improved catalytic performance of N-Sn3O4/CN-3 was mainly attribute to the formation of S-scheme heterojunction between N-Sn3O4 and g-C3N4 nanosheets, which can accelerated the separation and migration of photogenerated carriers. In addition, the hydrogen production rate of N-Sn3O4/CN-3 in the 16 h of cycle experiment did not significantly decrease, indicating that N-Sn3O4/CN-3 possessed good stability. This research provided a direction for the design of high efficiency, environmental protection and new heterojunction catalysts.