Nickel-decorated g-C(3)N(4)hollow spheres as an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution and oxidation of amines to imines

摘要

Photocatalysts composed of earth-abundant elements are highly desired for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution as well as oxidation of amines to imines without the requirement of precious metals. Herein, non-precious Ni metal decorated g-C(3)N(4)hollow spheres (Ni-CNHS) with different Ni contents were prepared by a simple calcination strategy followed by photoreduction loading of the Ni metal. Under visible light illumination, Ni-CNHS exhibited efficient photocatalytic performance for the oxidation of amines to imines and hydrogen production from water splitting using triethanolamine as a sacrificial agent. The optimal amount of Ni was 0.41 wt% with a H-2-production rate of 596 mu mol g(-1)h(-1)and the conversion rate of benzylamine of 61.3%. The probable photocatalytic mechanism of Ni-CNHS was investigated. This work provides the possibility to construct non-noble metal photocatalysts with great performance for hydrogen production and organic synthesis.