Construction of a Facile Recyclable Graphene-Like C3N4 Cilia Array for Effective Visible-Light-Responsive Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

A simple combination of thermal etching and liquid-phase ultrasonic stripping was deployed to prepare high-performance graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets. Also, graphene oxide with plentiful active groups was used to c(o)mbine g-C3N4 with a magnetically actuated artificial cilia array (MAACA) to generate a composite cilia array, which can ensure the facile recovery of g-C3N4. This strategy addresses the limitations of an adjustable band gap for easy response to visible light and circumvents the encumbered limitation of recyclability, thus addressing a chronic environmental problem by curbing waste. The underlying functional principle of the array used was analyzed and studied in greater detail. The photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency of MAACA with 0.4 mg of g-C3N4 at a magnetic field driving frequency of 12.50 Hz was found to be similar to 75.0% higher than that at a magnetic field driving frequency of 0 Hz.