Hazra, M., Hofer, M., Fickl, B., Ertl, A., Myakala, S. N., Eder, D., Porcu, S., Cherevan, A., Bayer, B. C., & Ricci, P. C. (2025). 2D-2D PhCN/WS2 exfoliated nanosheets for visible-light hydrogen production: A platinum-free Co-catalyst approach. Carbon, 244, Article 120678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120678
Substituting fossil fuels with green energy sources such as H₂ is one of the prime objectives of achieving a sustainable and carbon-neutral future. In this work, a noble-metal-free 2D-2D hybrid photocatalyst PhCN/WS₂ is reported for application in hydrogen production under visible-light irradiation, where WS₂ is utilized as an environmentally friendly co-catalyst. The synthesis and characterization of 2D Phenyl-modified carbon nitride (PhCN) and 2D WS₂ via liquid-phase exfoliation are systematically investigated. The effectiveness of a solvent-mediated self-assembly is highlighted, and the effect of WS₂ flake size on the photocatalytic activity of the hybrid is examined. The hybridization of exfoliated PhCN with two-dimensional (2D) WS₂ demonstrates a 42-fold enhancement in hydrogen evolution compared to exfoliated PhCN alone under visible light. This improvement is attributed to the role of WS₂ as an effective hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) co-catalyst. The utilization of larger WS₂ nanoflakes proved to be ideal to establish fast charge carrier transportation networks.
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Research facilities:
Analytical Instrumentation Center Universitäre Service-Einrichtung für Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie
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Project title:
Scalable production of two-dimensional sulfides for sustainable photocatalytic applications: 883865 (FFG - Österr. Forschungsförderungs- gesellschaft mbH)
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Project (external):
Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Italian Ministry for Research and Education (MUR) Royal Society of Chemistry
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Project ID:
COE5 ECS 00000038 D23-2324506310
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Research Areas:
Special and Engineering Materials: 30% Materials Characterization: 40% Surfaces and Interfaces: 30%
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