Superior hydrophilic porous graphitic carbon nitride for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The efficient photocatalysts may significantly assist to alleviate the shortage of non-renewable resources. Whereas, the hydrophilicity of the photocatalyst greatly contributes towards the hydrogen production reaction activity. In this work, we showcased the synthesis of hydrophilic porous carbon nitride (HCN) by mixing mel-amine with cyanuric acid using the molten salt method. Several comprehensive spectral characterizations demonstrate that the resulting hydrophilic porous structure is associated with the emergence of cyano group. Moreover, the water contact angle experiments confirmed the enhanced hydrophilicity. The hydrogen produc-tion rate of the sample obtained is up to 465.2 & mu;mol g-1 h-1, which is 9.38 times higher than that of the pristine carbon nitride (PCN).

Automated summary

Efficient photocatalysts can effectively address the shortage of non-renewable resources, and the hydrophilicity of the photocatalyst plays a crucial role in hydrogen production reaction activity. This study demonstrates the synthesis of hydrophilic porous carbon nitride (HCN) by mixing melamine with cyanuric acid using the molten salt method. Spectral characterizations and water contact angle experiments confirm the presence of a hydrophilic porous structure and enhanced hydrophilicity. The hydrogen production rate of the obtained sample is 465.2 μmol g-1 h-1, which is 9.38 times higher than that of pristine carbon nitride (PCN).