Graphitic carbon nitride-based photocatalysts for hydrogen production

Abstract

The fast depletion of fossil fuels and population explosion causes global energy disaster. This motivates the construction of alternative, green, and sustainable energy production for the long-term development of society. At this juncture, hydrogen energy is considered an ideal and alternative energy carrier due to its high energy capacity with environmentally friendly nature. Therefore, the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen fuel via photocatalytic splitting of water is one of the most promising solutions for solving future energy demand and environmental problems. Graphitic carbon nitride has been regarded as a promising material and widely investigated as a visible light-responsive candidate. However, the fast recombination and low transfer rate of the photogenerated charge carrier hindered the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production. To overcome these inherent problems, different powerful approaches have been applied for the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. Among all, designing of the heterojunction-type photocatalytic system has been drawing greater attention due to the incorporation of multiple functionalities. Moreover, a sheet of two-dimensional (2D) graphitic carbon nitride could provide a sufficient, convenient scaffold for connecting to different materials. Therefore, this chapter will provide an efficient approach and will inspire scientists for further research to architect and engineer state-of-the-art heterojunction for photocatalytic water splitting toward sustainable hydrogen production. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.