Deprotonation of g-C3N4 with Na ions for efficient nonsacrificial water splitting under visible light

Abstract

Developing a photocatalyst with the necessary characteristics of being cheap, efficient and robust for visible-light-driven water splitting remains a serious challenge within the photocatalysis field. Herein, an effective strategy, deprotonating g-C₃N₄ with Na ions from low-cost precursors, is reported. The deprotonated g-C₃N₄ exhibits a stable and reproducible H₂ and O₂ evolution rate of 31.5 and 15.2 μmol h⁻¹ from pure water over 24 h. Our findings reveal that the extraordinary photoreactivity comes from the enhanced optical absorption, the promoted charge transfer, and the completely inhibited H₂O₂ intermediate due to the deprotonation.