Plasmonic Hafnium Nitride Nanoparticle-Decorated Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Plasmon-Enhanced Photocatalytic Dye Degradation

Photocatalytic dye degradation under visible light irradiation is restricted by the poor light absorption and the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in traditional materials, such as graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN), hindering their practical applications. In this study, a plasmonic hafnium nitride (HfN)-decorated graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposite (HfN@g-CN) was developed by incorporating plasmonic HfN nanoparticles (NPs) into g-CN. The incorporation of plasmonic HfN NPs enhanced visible light absorption and facilitated efficient electron transfer. Moreover, SEM and TEM analyses confirmed the uniform distribution of HfN on the g-CN surface. The photocatalytic activity was tested during Rhodamine B (Rh B) dye degradation upon visible light irradiation and achieved a degradation rate of 3.7 x 10(-)3 gh(-)(1)g(-)(1) catalyst, which is 3.7 times higher than that for pure g-CN. These findings highlight the potential of the developed plasmonic HfN@g-CN nanocomposite as efficient and stable photocatalysts for practical applications in environmental remediation and solar-driven chemical processes.