Polymeric Carbon Nitride from Inorganic Precursor in Eutectic Salts: Enhanced Exciton Dissociation and Photocatalytic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> Production
Shiqi Zeng, Lina Li, Zhenchun Yang, Jiahao Cui, Siting Shao, Kun Wang, Jianguo Cui, Yubao Zhao
Abstract
Photocatalysis is one of the environmental-friendly approaches toward the sustainable production of the versatile hydrogen peroxide. Polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) frameworks are especially favorable for the photocatalytic 2e– oxygen reduction reaction. High crystallinity of the PCN is favorable for enhancing the solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency. Employing the ionic compound of ammonium thiocyanate (NH4SCN) as the precursor, the crystallinity of AT-CN was significantly improved as compared to its counterpart synthesized with the organic melamine as the precursor (m-CN). Spectroscopic investigations revealed that the exciton dissociation was remarkably enhanced for the crystalline AT-CN. AT-CN thus exhibited remarkable photocatalytic performance in the H2O2 production and pollutant degradation. This work demonstrates a novel approach of tuning the miscibility of the precursor in the molten salt for enhancing the crystallinity of the polymeric carbon nitride framework.