Overall water splitting by Pt/g-C₃N₄photocatalysts without using sacrificial agents

Abstract

We report the direct splitting of pure water by light-excited graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) modified with Pt, PtO _<i>x</i> , and CoO _<i>x</i> as redox cocatalysts, while pure g-C₃N₄ is virtually inactive for overall water splitting by photocatalysis. The novelty is in the selective creation of both H₂ and O₂ cocatalysts on surface active sites of g-C₃N₄<i>via</i> photodeposition triggering the splitting of water for the simultaneous evolution of H₂ and O₂ gases in a stoichiometric ratio of 2 : 1, irradiated with light, without using any sacrificial reagents. The photocatalyst was stable for 510 hours of reaction.