Clay-mediated charge management enables efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in laponite/CoAl2O4/UT g-C3N4

Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry · Temmuz 2026

Makale Bilgileri

DergiJournal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A Chemistry

Yayın TarihiTemmuz 2026

Cilt / Sayfa476

DOI10.1016/j.jphotochem.2026.117065

Scopus ID2-s2.0-105028856988

Özet Clay-supported heterojunctions were assessed using ultrathin g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf> as the light absorber, g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf>/CoAl<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> heterojunction, and a ternary Laponite/CoAl<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf>/UT g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf> architecture. The UT g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf> baseline improves photon capture and carrier mobility. Adding CoAl<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> forms a direct heterojunction that drives interfacial charge separation and reduces recombination. By leveraging the dual-charged nature of Laponite, the sandwich-type Laponite/CoAl<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf>/UT g- C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf> catalyst promotes the formation of internal electrostatic microfields that facilitate directional charge migration across the UT g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf>/CoAl<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> heterojunction, thereby suppressing electron–hole recombination and enhancing overall catalytic activity. The combined effects of heterojunction formation, and clay-enabled charge transport account for the observed stepwise enhancement from single to binary to ternary configurations. This concise design pathway illustrates how ultrathin g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf>, spinel coupling, and a clay scaffold can be integrated into a scalable sandwich-type photocatalyst for efficient solar hydrogen evolution. Under visible-light irradiation, g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf>-NS delivered a hydrogen evolution rate of 0.12 mmol g−1 h−1 and an STH efficiency of 0.25%, while UT g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf> reached 0.18 mmol g−1 h−1 with an STH efficiency of 0.37%. The UT g-C<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf>/CoAl<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> heterojunction achieved 0.61 mmol g−1 h−1 with an STH efficiency of 1.23%, and incorporation of Laponite raised the rate to 1.50 mmol g−1 h−1 with an STH efficiency of 3.6%. These values correspond to 2.5-fold and 12-fold improvements over the binary and pristine systems, respectively. The optimized ternary catalyst sustained a linear hydrogen evolution profile for 24 h and reached a cumulative yield of 27 mmol g−1 without deactivation.

Yazarlar (5)

Talha Kuru

ORCID: 0000-0001-9662-8211

Yigit Osman Akyıldız

ORCID: 0000-0001-7057-7268

Ali Keles

Emre Aslan

Imren Hatay Patir

ORCID: 0000-0003-2937-6557

Anahtar Kelimeler

Catalysis Clay Heterojunction Hydrogen Photocatalyst

Kurumlar

Selçuk Üniversitesi

Selçuklu Turkey

YEO Technology R&D Center

Istanbul Turkey

Sistemimizdeki Yazarlar

EMRE ASLAN

DOÇENT

Hızlı Erişim

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