Defective graphitic carbon nitride synthesized by controllable co-polymerization with enhanced visible light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Defects have a vital effect on the band structures and properties of semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, we developed a one-step strategy to introduce defects in the framework of g-C₃N₄ by controllable copolymerization of melamine with a series of partially reactive end capped monomers. The capping molecules have great impacts on the properties of modified g-C₃N₄. The obtained defective g-C₃N₄ exhibits an increased surface area, improved charge carrier separation efficiency, and a narrowed band gap with a negative shift of the conduction band. Particularly, defect-rich CN-DPT shows 10 times improvement of visible light activity for hydrogen production compared with pristine g-C₃N₄.