Synthesis of Leaf-Vein-Like g-C3N4 with Tunable Band Structures and Charge Transfer Properties for Selective Photocatalytic H2O2 Evolution

Abstract

Photocatalytic H2O2 evolution through two-electron oxygen reduction has attracted wide attention as an environmentally friendly strategy compared with the traditional anthraquinone or electrocatalytic method. Herein, a biomimetic leaf-vein-like g-C3N4 as an efficient photocatalyst for H2O2 evolution is reported, which owns tenable band structure, optimized charge transfer, and selective two-electron O2 reduction. The mechanism for the regulation of band structure and charge transfer is well studied by combining experiments and theoretical calculations. The H2O2 yield of CN4 (287 µmol h−1) is about 3.3 times higher than that of pristine CN (87 µmol h−1), and the apparent quantum yield for H2O2 evolution over CN4 reaches 27.8% at 420 nm, which is much higher than that for many other current photocatalysts. This work not only provides a novel strategy for the design of photocatalyst with excellent H2O2 evolution efficiency, but also promotes deep understanding for the role of defect and doping sites on photocatalytic activity.