Electrophoretic Deposition of Carbon Nitride Layers for Photoelectrochemical Applications

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is used for the growth of carbon nitride (C3N4) layers on conductive substrates. EPD is fast, environmentally friendly, and allows the deposition of negatively charged C3N4 with different compositions and chemical properties. In this method, C3N4 can be deposited on various conductive substrates ranging from conductive glass and carbon paper to nickel foam possessing complex 3D geometries. The high flexibility of this approach enables us to readily tune the photophysical and photoelectronic properties of the C3N4 electrodes. The advantage of this method was further illustrated by the tailored construction of a heterostructure between two complementary C3N4, with marked photoelectrochemical activity.