Microwave-assisted heating synthesis: a general and rapid strategy for large-scale production of highly crystalline g-C3N4 with enhanced photocatalytic H2 production

Abstract

The metal-free photocatalyst, g-C₃N₄, is very attractive for solar hydrogen production. Presently, g-C₃N₄ is mainly fabricated by the conversion of nitrogen-rich precursors at high temperature (400–600 °C) for a long reaction time (several hours to days). Herein we report a rapid synthetic strategy named “microwave (MW)-assisted heating synthesis”, which allows the highly crystalline g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst to be fabricated in minutes. The obtained g-C₃N₄ displays enhanced photocatalytic H₂ production. In addition, the described synthetic strategy is a general approach that can also be applicable to other nitrogen-rich organic precursors, such as melamine, cyanamide, and thiourea. Importantly, the present process enables scale-up production of g-C₃N₄ for several grams in minutes.