A Tour‐Guide through Carbon Nitride‐Land: Structure‐ and Dimensionality‐Dependent Properties for Photo(Electro)Chemical Energy Conversion and Storage

Abstract

Antonietti and coworkers on its photocatalytic properties in 2009. [1] Originally a niche subject of academic curiosity from the works of Berzelius, Liebig, [2] and Gmelin [3] nearly 200 years ago, interests in this material family was first revived as a proposed precursor to the computationally postulated ultrahard ß-C 3 N 4 in the 1990s. [4] In the last decade, the surge in publications on g-C 3 N 4 materials arose primarily due to their favorable photo-/electro-chemical properties, especially for the photocatalytic synthesis of solar fuels such as hydrogen from water-splitting, a research direction motivated by concerns over the environmental and socio-political impacts of our reliance on fossil fuels. Many of these publications focus on the catalytic aspects of this class of materials, aiming to improve their reaction kinetics through chemical modification or material processing. In

Photoelectrochemical alcohols oxidation over polymeric carbon nitride photoanodes with simultaneous H2 production

“…From an energetic viewpoint, O ads 2 reacts with the BnOH on graphitic carbon nitride 48 with a low adsorption energy of −0.17 eV ( Fig. 5c ).…”

Single‐Metal Atoms and Ultra‐Small Clusters Manipulating Charge Carrier Migration in Polymeric Perylene Diimide for Efficient Photocatalytic Oxygen Production

“…Increasing energy demands and serious environmental issues have been hindering the sustainable development of human society. To solve these problems, exploring low-cost and sustainable energy to replace traditional fossil fuels has become Since the pioneering demonstration of semiconducting polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) for photocatalysis by Wang et al, [6] significant advances have been achieved for PCN in photocatalytic water splitting via various modification strategies, [7] including foreign-element doping, [8] covalent modification, [9] defect engineering [10] and heterostructure construction, [11] etc., with the molecular and electronic structures engineered for the improved optical absorption property and charge carrier migration ability. [12] For example, by developing B-doped and N-deficient PCN (BDCN) featured with rationally tuned band structures for photocatalytic water oxidation, with oxygen evolution apparent quantum yield (AQY) reaching 3.7% at 380 nm, [13] Shen et al successfully assembled an all-BDCN based 2D/2D Z-scheme heterostructure for efficient photocatalytic overall water splitting, with solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency reaching ≈1.16% as high, [14] with the band structures well-tuned BDCN nanosheets are acting as oxygen evolution photocatalyst coupled with another BDCN as hydrogen evolution photocatalyst.…”

Hydrophobized Poly(Heptazine Imide) for Highly Effective Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Production in a Biphasic Fatty Alcohol-Water System

“…[10][11][12] Polymeric carbon nitrides (PCNs) whose photocatalytic activity was first reported by Wang et al 13 are known for their excellent performance in light-driven H2O2 production from oxygen. 14 The ionic form of this material comprising stacks of 2D heptazine-based networks and alkali metal cations and/or protons, poly(heptazine imide) (PHI), 12,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] otherwise known as CNx-NCN, KSCN-or alkali metal modified carbon nitride, typically outperforms the conventional, non-ionic, melon polymer in this reaction. 9 The superior activity of PHI can be explained, among other factors, by partial substitution of the terminal NH2-groups for -N --C≡N species in PHI, resulting in fewer hydrogen bond interactions and better dispersibility of the material in polar solvents.…”