Molecule Self-Assembly Synthesis of Porous Few-Layer Carbon Nitride for Highly Efficient Photoredox Catalysis

Polymeric carbon nitride (C3N4) has emerged as the most promising candidate for metal-free photocatalysts but is plagued by low activity due to the poor quantum efficiency and low specific surface area. Exfoliation of bulk crystals into ultrathin nanosheets has proven to be an effective and widely used strategy for enabling high photocatalytic performances; however, this process is complicated, time-consuming, and costly. Here, we report a simple bottom-up method to synthesize porous few-layer C3N4, which involves molecule self-assembly into layered precursors, alcohol molecules intercalation, and subsequent thermal-induced exfoliation and polycondensation. The as-prepared few-layer C3N4 expose more active…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 21603036, 21631004
• MO
  Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China

  Award: 2016YFA0204000
• SA
  Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality