Noble metal-free NiS/P-S codoped g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts with strong visible light absorbance and enhanced H 2 evolution activity

Abstract Noble metal-free NiS/P-S codoped g-C 3 N 4 (PSCN) nanocomposites were fabricated by combination of thermal copolymerization using ammonium O, O- diethyl dithiophosphate as P-S precursor and ion-exchange precipitation. The optimal H 2 -generation rate of NiS/PSCN is 30.5 μmol h − 1 , which is 1.9 times higher than that of NiS/pristine g-C 3 N 4 . The codoping of P and S into g-C 3 N 4 not only enhances the light harvesting, but also promotes the charge separation. Noble metal-free NiS loaded onto PSCN serves as electron trapping centers and active sites for hydrogen evolution which further enhances the photocatalytic H 2 evolution activity of PSCN.