Engineering of g-C₃N₄-Based Photocatalysts for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution from Water Splitting

Abstract

Photocatalytic water splitting using semiconductors is considered as one of the most promising green technologies to solve energy crises and environmental issues by converting solar energy into hydrogen fuel. The development of visible-light-responsive and highly efficient photocatalyst is the key issue in in the field of photocatalytic study. Polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) has gained tremendous research interest owing to its visible-light responsivity, excellent thermal and chemical stability, easy synthesis and low cost. However, g-C 3 N 4 prepared with thermal polymerization method has low specific surface area, high recombination probability of photogenerated electron and hole, as well as limited utilization of visible light, which inhibit its performance in photocatalytic conversions. Realizing its large-scale application in photocatalysis requires advances in improving its activity with controllable strategies. This review briefly summarizes the recent advances in designing g-C 3 N 4 -based photocatalysts with boosted activity for hydrogen production from water splitting reaction.