Short-time Thermal Oxidation of Ultrathin and Broadband Carbon Nitride for Efficient Photocatalytic H2 Generation

Broadband light absorption and excellent charge separation/migration efficiency are two important indicators for promising photocatalyst. However, realizing the above two aspects simultaneously is still a challenge. Here, an ultrathin and broadband carbon nitride (UBCN) is synthesized via a short-time thermal oxidation process. The as-prepared UBCN exhibits outstanding photocatalytic H-2 generation activity (240.60 mu mol h(-1)) under irradiation with lambda>400 nm. Moreover, UBCN can work under irradiation with a longer wavelength (lambda>500 nm), the corresponding H-2 evolution rate is 5.08 mu mol h(-1), which is 14.8 times higher than that of bulk carbon nitride (Bulk CN). The excellent photocatalytic performance should be credited to the efficient charge separation/migration (the ultrathin structure) and the extended light absorption range. This work provides a simple and convenient strategy to prepare broadband and ultrathin metal-free photocatalytic materials.