Photocatalytic H₂O₂ and H₂ Generation from Living <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> and Carbon Micro Particle Comodified g‐C₃N₄

Abstract

Abstract Hydrogen production from water splitting using photocatalysts and solar energy is an ideal pathway to obtain future energy sources which are cheap and easy to industrialize. In the water splitting process, the reduction of H 2 O gives H 2 , while H 2 O oxidation produces O 2 with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) in tiny amounts as a by‐product (poisoning the catalyst). It remains challenging to simultaneously produce H 2 O 2 and H 2 within one photocatalytic system. Inspired by a biological H 2 O 2 generator, chlorella, the authors firstly realize the simultaneous photocatalytic water splitting and biological H 2 O 2 generation by a living Chlorella vulgaris and carbon micro particle (needle coke) comodified g‐C 3 N 4 (C‐N‐g‐C 3 N 4 ) photocatalyst. The C‐N‐g‐C 3 N 4 exhibits the optimal H 2 O 2 (H 2 ) evolution rate of 0.98 µmol h −1 (0.84 µmol h −1 ), giving an apparent quantum efficiency of 0.86% for H 2 evolution at 420 nm. In this system, the needle coke serves as cocatalyst to work as reduction sites for H 2 evolution, while the living C. vulgaris plays the key role in the production of H 2 O 2 under the protection of g‐C 3 N 4 .