Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting using zinc selenide/graphitic carbon nitride type-II heterojunction interface

Abstract The objective of this research is to construct a type-II heterojunction interface for effective photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting for hydrogen generation. A series of ZnSe/g-C3N4 heterojunctions is prepared by ultrasonication procedure and tested for PEC water splitting for the first time. The successful formation of ZnSe/g-C3N4 is confirmed by phase, morphological and optical analysis. Linear sweep voltammetry of 0.05 ZG (0.05% ZnSe/g-C3N4) showed a six-fold higher photocurrent density of 500 μA than g-C3N4. These results are supported by the Tafel slopes and PL (photoluminescence spectroscopy) studies by showing the smallest slope and lesser electron-hole recombination for 0.05 ZG. Increased lifetime of 107 ms and a higher donor density of 3.6 × 1019 cm−3 for 0.05 ZG is observed. The smallest semicircle for 0.05 ZG in EIS implies the least charge transfer resistance among the prepared heterojunctions. All the results comply with each other showing the successful formation of type-II heterojunction for enhanced PEC water splitting.