Time-Resolved Study on Xanthene Dye-Sensitized Carbon Nitride Photocatalytic Systems

Dye sensitization is a promising strategy to extend the visible light absorption of carbon nitride (C3N4) and increase the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency of C3N4 under visible light irradiation. However, the interaction dynamics between C3N4 and a sensitized dye has not been reported in the literature. Herein, we selected four commonly used xanthene dyes such as fluorescein, dibromofluorescein, eosin Y, and erythrosine B and prepared their corresponding dye-sensitized-C3N4 composites. For the first time, we derived the electron transfer rate from the LUMO of each photoexcited xanthene dye to the conduction band of C3N4 using picoesecond time-resolved fluorescence measurements. We also obtained the reduction potentials of all selected xanthene dyes and C3N4 with cyclic voltammetry measurements. The cyclic voltammetry measurements gave a consistent result with the picosecond time-resolved fluorescence measurements. Besides, the possibility of the selected xanthene dye as an acceptor for the hole of the photoexcited C3N4 was also discussed. We believe this study is significant for the researcher to understanding the fundamental aspects in the xanthene dye-sensitized-C3N4 photocatalytic systems.