Facile construction of CuFe2O4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst for enhanced visible-light hydrogen evolution

A new type of CuFe2O4/g-C3N4 composite photocatalyst has been prepared by a facile one-pot calcination approach using urea and a CuFe2O4 gel as precursors. In this composite, CuFe2O4 has been finely dispersed in g-C3N4 matrix, resulting in a much enhanced efficiency of the CuFe2O4/g-C3N4 heterostructure in photocatalytic H2 production by water splitting, under visible light. A peak H2 production rate of 76 μmol h−1 has been obtained, which is about 3 times that on pure g-C3N4 obtained from urea. This remarkable improvement can be attributed to the enhanced visible light absorbance, enlarged surface area and promoted charge carrier separation and transfer.