Enhancement of N2 adsorption by Z-scheme porous g-C3N4/ZnFe2O4 composite material for high-efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation

An energy-efficient and environmentally friendly nitrogen fixation process is urgently needed to solve problems of high energy consumption and high emissions in the traditional ammonia industry. In this work, a Z-scheme porous g-C3N4/ZnFe2O4 photocatalyst was synthesized, characterized and employed for N2 photofixation. Temperature programmed desorption characterization confirmed that the adsorption capacity of nitrogen was improved for the porous structure. From N2 photofixation evaluation experiments, the highest ammonia production efficiency can reach 147.33 μmol/L within 120 min. Photocatalytic performance is greatly improved because of the increasing of specific surface areas, enhancement of N2 adsorption ability and synergistic effect of Z-scheme photocatalytic system. In the ammonia production process of the research, visible light is used as energy; N2 and H2O are used as raw materials, which possesses a good application potential due to the advantages of being energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and pollution-free.