Influence of C3N4 Precursors on Photoelectrochemical Behavior of TiO2/C3N4 Photoanode for Solar Water Oxidation

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is considered as a long-term solution for the ever-increasing energy demands. Various strategies have been employed to improve the traditional TiO2 photoanode. In this study, TiO2 nanorods were decorated by graphitic carbon nitride (C3N4) derived from different precursors such as thiourea, melamine, and a mixture of thiourea and melamine. Photoelectrochemical activity of TiO2/C3N4 photoanode can be modified by tuning the number of precursors used to synthesize C3N4. C3N4 derived from the mixture of melamine and thiourea in TiO2/C3N4 photoanode showed photocurrent density as high as 2.74 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE. C3N4 synthesized by thiourea showed particle-like morphology, while melamine and melamine with thiourea derived C3N4 yielded two dimensional (2D) nanosheets. Nanosheet-like C3N4 showed higher photoelectrochemical performance than that of particle-like nanostructures as specific surface area, and the redox ability of nanosheets are believed to be superior to particle-like nanostructures. TiO2/C3N4 displayed excellent photostability up to 20 h under continuous illumination. Thiourea plays an important role in enhancing the photoelectrochemical performance of TiO2/C3N4. This study emphasizes the fact that the improved photoelectrochemical performance can be achieved by varying the precursors of C3N4 in TiO2/C3N4 heterojunction. This is the first report to show the influence of C3N4 precursors on photoelectrochemical performance in TiO2/C3N4 systems. This would pave the way to explore different precursors influence on C3N4 with respect to the photoelectrochemical response of TiO2/C3N4 heterojunction photoanode.