Topological carbon nitride: Localized photon absorption and delocalized charge carrier separation at intertwined photocatalyst interfaces

Abstract

We here introduce, for the first time, a topological carbon nitride (TCN) with built-in crystalline-amorphous phases. Topologically anchored dual complementary phases allow localized photon absorption of different wavelengths, and provide a twinned photocatalyst interface to facilitate geminate charge carrier pair separation. These unique attributes, which are absent in widely used graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) and amorphous carbon nitride (ACN) photocatalysts, are highly desirable for precious metal (i.e. Pt) cocatalyst-free hydrogen production via water-splitting. Our results are substantiated with both experiments and simulations.