Enhanced Plasmonic Photocatalytic Performance of C Doped Tin Nanocrystals Through Ultrathin Carbon Layers

A low-cost plasmonic photocatalyst, consisting of carbon-doped TiN nanoparticles supported on an ultrathin carbon layer, was successfully synthesized for photocatalytic dye degradation through a simple calcination process using a TiCl4/urea mixture. The resulting catalyst exhibited remarkable plasmonic photocatalytic performance under visible light irradiation. In comparison with benchmark rutile TiO2 and g-C3N4/TiO2 heterostructure catalysts, the first-order reaction rate constant of the developed catalyst improved approximately 34.2 times and 6.5 times, respectively. The doping concentration of carbon and the crystal size of TiN nanoparticles, predominantly influenced by the amount of urea and calcination temperature, were identified as crucial factors governing the plasmonic photocatalytic activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that the introduction of carbon sp bands into the TiN band structure promoted interband excitation of electrons and facilitated the generation of hotter holes, thereby enhancing the degradation of dyes and ultimately contributing to the superior photocatalytic activity observed