Loading silver nanoclusters onto g-C3N4 by formamide-assisted in-situ strategy to achieve efficient photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production

Abstract

Modification of semiconductor-based photocatalysts with nanoclusters is regarded as a key advancement in photocatalytic hydrogen production. This study successfully prepared g-C₃N₄-based photocatalysts loaded with small-sized silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs/CN) using formamide as a solvent and reducing agent. Through systematic characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we demonstrate that silver nanoclusters serve as charge-transfer channels, enhancing the generation and separation of photogenerated carriers and optimizing the surface properties of g-C₃N₄ to greatly improve its photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of Ag NCs/CN reaches 1439.77 μmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹ significantly surpassing that of g-C₃N₄. Moreover, Ag NCs/CN maintains high photocatalytic activity even after 30 h of continuous cycling. This work reveals the role of silver nanocluster modification in photogenerated electron separation and transport, providing new insights into the application of metal nanocluster composite catalysts.