Robust Carbon Nitride Homojunction Photoelectrode for Solar-Driven Water Splitting

Achieving intimate particle-to-particle and particle-to-substrate contacts is the first priority for fabricating high-quality photoelectrodes to ensure sufficient visible light absorption and efficient charge separation/transport. To achieve this goal, a seeding strategy is designed to construct a robust carbon nitride (CN) homojunction photoelectrode, in which vaporized precursors are condensed into a compact seeding layer at low temperatures, inducing the further deposition of the top layer. This optimized photoelectrode displays an excellent photocurrent density of 320 mu A cm-2 in 0.1 M NaOH electrolyte at 1.23 VRHE (V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) under AM 1.5G illumination, with H2 and O2 evolution rates of 2.98 and 1.47 mu mol h-1 cm-2, respectively. Characterizations show that both the robust contact and the homojunction of the double-layered CN film contribute to enhanced photoelectrochemical performance. This work may provide a new strategy for the design of high-performing CN photoelectrodes.

Automated summary

Achieving intimate particle-to-particle and particle-to-substrate contacts is crucial for fabricating high-quality photoelectrodes, and a seeding strategy is designed to construct a robust carbon nitride (CN) homojunction photoelectrode, leading to enhanced photoelectrochemical performance. The optimized photoelectrode exhibits excellent photocurrent density and hydrogen and oxygen evolution rates in 0.1 M NaOH electrolyte under AM 1.5G illumination. This work provides a new strategy for the design of high-performing CN photoelectrodes.