Recent progress in modifications of g-C3N4 for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and CO2 reduction

Abstract

Abstract Photocatalytic H2 evolution and CO2 reduction are promising technologies for addressing environmental and energy issues. g-C3N4 is one of most promising materials to form improved catalysts because of its exceptional electrical structure, physical and chemical characteristics, and distinctive metal-free feature. This article provides a summary of current advancements in g-C3N4-based catalysts from innovative design approaches and their applications. Hydrogen evolution has reached 6305.18 µmol g−1 h−1 and >9 h of stability using the SnS2/g-C3N4 heterojunction. Additionally, the ZnO/Au/g-C3N4 maintains a constant CO generation rate of 689.7 mol m−2 during the 8 h reaction. To fully understand the interior relationship of theory–structure performance on g-C3N4-based materials, modifications are studied simultaneously. Furthermore, the synthesis of g-C3N4 and g-C3N4-based materials, as well as their respective instances, have been reported. The reduction of CO2 and H2 generation is summarized. Lastly, a short overview of the present issues and potential alternatives for g-C3N4-based materials is provided.