Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane as a recyclable soft template to synthesize mesoporous polymeric carbon nitride with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Recyclable template synthesis of polymeric carbon nitride (CN) is rarely reported. Herein, for the first time, octamethyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (mPOSS) was used as a recyclable soft template to prepare mesoporous CN with increased specific surface area, photoabsorption, charge separation efficiency, and photocatalytic H₂ evolution rate which is ∼4.5 times that of the bulk CN. mPOSS exhibits high stability and recoverability. This work opens an avenue for recyclable template synthesis of mesoporous CN and may advance its industrial application.