Fe-Doped Metal Complex (LaCo0.9Fe0.1O3) and g-C3N4 Formed a Nanoheterojunction for the Photocatalytic Decomposition of Water

Photocatalytic water decomposition provides an environmentally friendly method of hydrogen production similar to "photosynthesis", while current research aims to develop affordable yet efficient photocatalysts. Oxygen vacancy is one of the most significant defects in metal oxide semiconductors, including perovskite, which substantially influences the semiconductor material's efficiency. To enhance the oxygen vacancy in the perovskite, we worked on doping Fe. A perovskite oxide nanostructure of LaCoxFe1-xO3 (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 0.9) was prepared by the sol-gel method, and a series of LaCoxFe1-xO3 (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 0.9)/g-C3N4 nanoheterojunction photocatalysts were synthesized using mechanical mixing and solvothermal methods for LaCoxFe1-xO3 (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 0.9). Fe was successfully doped into the perovskite (LaCoO3), and the formation of an oxygen vacancy was verified by various detection methods. In our photocatalytic water decomposition experiments, we observed that LaCo0.9Fe0.1O3 demonstrated a significant increase in its maximum hydrogen release rate, reaching 5249.21 mu mol h-1 g-1, which was remarkably 17.60 times higher than that of LaCoO3-undoped Fe. Similarly, we also explored the photocatalytic activity of the nanoheterojunction complex LaCo0.9Fe0.1O3/g-C3N4, and it exhibited pronounced performance with an average hydrogen production of 7472.67 mu mol h-1 g-1, which was 25.05 times that of LaCoO3. We confirmed that the oxygen vacancy plays a crucial role in photocatalysis.