Efficient hydrogen evolution from g-C3N4 under visible light by in situ loading Ag2Se nanoparticles as co-catalysts

The low charge separation and transfer of g-C 3 N 4 hinders its industrial application in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Here, we design a novel co-catalyst strategy to integrate Ag 2 Se nanoparticles in situ on the surface of g-C 3 N 4 . The optimized photocatalyst, 15% Ag 2 Se/g-C 3 N 4 , demonstrates remarkable photocatalytic efficiency in the hydrogen evolution rate, reaching to 1102.8 μmol·g −1 ·h −1 , 7 times higher than g-C 3 N 4 . To further elucidate the photocatalytic activity of 15% Ag 2 Se/g-C 3 N 4 , we present a possible mechanism based on various characterizations and density functional theory calculations. This research offers potential insights for the future development of silver chalcogenide composites in photocatalysis.