Highly Efficient Photocatalytic H 2 Evolution from Water using Visible Light and Structure‐Controlled Graphitic Carbon Nitride

The major challenge of photocatalytic water splitting, the prototypical reaction for the direct production of hydrogen by using solar energy, is to develop low-cost yet highly efficient and stable semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, an effective strategy for synthesizing extremely active graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) from a low-cost precursor, urea, is reported. The g-C3N4 exhibits an extraordinary hydrogen-evolution rate (ca. 20,000 μmol h(-1) g(-1) under full arc), which leads to a high turnover number (TON) of over 641 after 6 h. The reaction proceeds for more than 30 h without activity loss and results in an internal quantum yield of 26.5% under visible light, which is nearly an order of magnitude…

• UO
  University of Southampton
• FN
  Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg
• QN
  Qatar National Research Fund

  Award: NPRP 09-328-2-122
• EA
  Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

  Awards: EP/H046380, EP/G061785/1, EP/H046380/1, EP/G063176/1, EP/G063176/1, EP/G061785/1