Photocatalytic activities of Bi2O2CO3/g-C3N4@PAN nanofibers in hydrogen production

• Fabrication of flexible Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /g-C 3 N 3 @PAN heterojunction nanofibers. • Heterojunction interaction between g-C 3 N 4 and Bi 2 O 2 CO 3. • In-situ growth of Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /g-C 3 N 3 on the surface of PAN fibers. • Enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the electronic interaction. A series of Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 @PAN nanofibers were fabricated to evaluate their activities in photocatalytic hydrogen production. Their phase, microstructure and compositions were confirmed by the XRD, SEM, TEM, elemental mapping and XRS results. Their photophysical and photochemical properties were revealed by the UV–vis DRS and emission spectra, photocurrent response and LSV curves. The activities and stabilities were evaluated by the photocatalytic hydrogen production and cycling experiments under the simulated sunlight irradiation. The results indicate that the formation of heterojunction between Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 and g-C 3 N 4 benefits to the separation of photo-produced electrons and holes, which leads to the enhancements of activity in photocatalytic hydrogen production process.