Rapid Microwave Synthesis of Mesoporous Oxygen-Doped g-C3N4 with Carbon Vacancies for Efficient Photocatalytic H2O2 Production

Oxygen-doped g-C3N4 (CN) with carbon vacancies (O-CNC) was synthesized by microwave heating the mixture of melamine-cyanuric acid (MCA) supramolecular aggregates and oxalic acid for only 7 min. The as-synthesized O-CNC shows a mesoporous structure and exhibits a tunable band structure, optimized charge separation, and significantly enhanced two-electron reduction for H2O2 production. The photocatalytic H2O2 production rate reaches 2008.4 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) under simulated sunlight irradiation, which is more than 4 times higher than that of pristine bulk CN. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of the mesoporous structure with a large specific surface area, doped oxygen atoms, and carbon vacancies. These results have provided a facile and efficient way for realizing the practical application of CN in photocatalytic H2O2 production.

Automated summary

Oxygen-doped g-C3N4 with carbon vacancies was synthesized by microwave heating, showing a mesoporous structure and enhanced photocatalytic performance for H2O2 production under simulated sunlight irradiation. The synergistic effects of mesoporous structure, doped oxygen atoms, and carbon vacancies contributed to the enhanced photocatalytic performance.