Abstract:

H₂O₂ is industrially produced by the anthraquinone method, in which energy consumption is high because it involves multistep hydrogenation and oxidation reactions. Photocatalytic production of H₂O₂ has received increasing attention as a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional anthraquinone-based and electrochemical production processes. Herein, we report a novel molten salt-assisted microwave process for the synthesis of a g-C₃N₄-coated MgO-Al₂O₃-Fe₂O₃ (MAFO) heterojunction photocatalyst with outstanding H₂O₂ production ability. The addition of a molten salt during synthesis changes the morphology of the as-prepared catalysts and influences the degree of polycondensation of melamine, leading to a change in the band gap energy. The cladding structure forms the maximum area of the heterojunction, leading to strong electronic coupling between the two components. This strong electronic coupling results in a more effective separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs and a faster interfacial charge transfer, leading to higher H₂O₂ formation rate. The equilibrium concentration and formation rate of H₂O₂ over the as-prepared heterojunction catalyst were 6.3 mmol·L^-1 and 1.42 mmol·L^-1·h^-1, which are much higher than that reported for g-C₃N₄ and MAFO individually. In addition, the H₂O₂ decomposition rate also decreases over the as-prepared heterojunction catalysts. A possible mechanism and the electron transfer routes have been proposed based on a free radical trapping experiment.

Key words: g-C₃N₄, Cladding structure, Heterojunction, H₂O₂ production, Molten salt-assisted microwave process