Soft and hard templating of graphitic carbon nitride

Abstract

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) is an exciting material – a semiconductor comprised only of carbon and nitrogen. It is very easy to synthesize and there are many papers on the development of this material in key energy applications such as photoelectrochemical (PEC) conversion of solar energy into chemical fuels. As a promising candidate for sustainable photocathodes, g-CN has advantages such as low cost, visible light sensitivity and high chemical stability. However, to date, the performance of g-CN has been limited, partly because standard synthesis methods produce relatively dense materials with low surface area. To combat this, there are now many examples of hard and soft templating to change the structure and morphology of g-CN and introduce porosity. This review will discuss the key advances and challenges in this interesting new field.