Z-scheme LaCoO/CN for efficient full-spectrum light-simulated solar photocatalytic hydrogen generation.

The development of photocatalysts with high activity and low cost is still a major challenge. Since its synthesis in 2019, CN has become an emerging photocatalytic material and has been widely studied. In this work, we report on the preparation of LaCoO/CN nanosheets and the use of LaCoO instead of precious metals to improve photocatalytic hydrogen production activity. First, LaCoO was successfully prepared by the sol-gel method and then a series of high-efficiency Z-type LaCoO/CN heterojunction photocatalysts were synthesized by the solvothermal method. Various characterization techniques (XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, UV-Vis DRS, BET, ESR) confirmed the formation between LaCoO nanoparticles and CN nanosheet heterostructures and interface interactions. In the photocatalytic water split test, 50 wt% LaCoO/CN showed the highest photocatalytic activity of 956.11 μmol h g, which was 3.21 and 1.59 times that of LaCoO and CN, respectively. This work not only designs an inexpensive and efficient LaCoO/CN photocatalytic system for water splitting or other photocatalytic applications, but also provides ideas for constructing new material photocatalytic systems.