g-C3N4 Derived Materials for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production: A Mini Review on Design Strategies

Hydrogen production through solar energy is one of the most important pathways to meet the growing demand of renewable energy, and photocatalyst participation in solar hydrolytic hydrogen production has received great attention in recent years in terms of low cost, high efficiency, and flexible design. Particularly, g-C3N4 (Graphitic like carbon nitride material), as a unique material, can catalyze the hydrogen production process by completing the separation and transmission of charge. The easily adjustable pore structure/surface area, dimension, band-gap modulation and defect have shown great potential for hydrogen production from water cracking. In this review, the most recent advance of g-C3N4 including the doping of metal and non-metal elements, and the formation of semiconductor heterojunction is highlighted. The main modification strategies and approaches for the design of g-C3N4 for hydrogen production, as well as the influence of various materials on hydrogen evolution regarding the photocatalysis mechanism and advantages brought by theoretical calculations are specially and briefly illustrated. Potential design pathways and strategies of g-C3N4 are discussed. In addition, current challenges of hydrogen production from g-C3N4 water splitting are summarized and can be expected.

Automated summary

Hydrogen production through solar hydrolytic process using g-C3N4 as photocatalyst has shown great potential due to its flexibility in design. Recent focus has been on doping with metal and non-metal elements, as well as forming semiconductor heterojunctions. Challenges include improving hydrogen production efficiency and overcoming limitations of materials.