A review on g-C3N4 incorporated with organics for enhanced photocatalytic water splitting

The key challenge of the photocatalytic technology is to discover a low-cost photocatalyst with the functions of efficient sunlight utilization and high charge separation rate for application in the field of renewable energy generation. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has spurred worldwide attention due to its abundance of raw materials, superior visible-light response activity, facile synthetic strategy, chemical stability, and a unique layered structure. In the past decade, the combination of g-C3N4 and organic compounds became a research hotspot because of its low cost, adjustable solar light absorption band and stable crystal structures. In this review, (1) the latest developments in the morphology control of g-C3N4 as a photocatalyst including nanorods, nanotubes, nanosheets, nanospheres, porous structures and other different tunable nanostructures, are systematically studied. (2) The incorporation strategies of g-C3N4 with various organic compounds including recently reported organic molecules, polymers and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with the aim of improving the overall photocatalytic performance are discussed in detail. (3) We theoretically present applications in water splitting, CO2 reduction, pollutant degradation and environmental disinfection. Finally, the research challenges and prospects of organic compound composited g-C3N4 towards hydrogen evolution through water splitting are proposed.

Automated summary

The review systematically studies the latest developments in morphology control of g-C3N4 as a photocatalyst, including nanorods, nanotubes, nanosheets, nanospheres, porous structures, and other different tunable nanostructures; discusses the incorporation strategies of g-C3N4 with various organic compounds, aiming to improve the overall photocatalytic performance; theoretically presents applications in water splitting, CO2 reduction, pollutant degradation, and environmental disinfection; and proposes research challenges and prospects of organic compound composited g-C3N4 towards hydrogen evolution through water splitting.