A recent development and future prospect of g–C3N4–based photocatalyst for stable hydrogen (H2) generation via photocatalytic water-splitting

• Published in: International journal of hydrogen energy Vol. 85; pp. 598 - 624
• Main Authors: Gomari, Khadija Abdullahi, Hafeez, Hafeez Yusuf, Mohammed, J., Dankawu, U.M., Ndikilar, Chifu E., Suleiman, Abdussalam Balarabe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 04.10.2024
• Subjects: G-C3N4; H2 fuel; HER; Renewable energy; Synthesis methods; Water splitting; Water splitting; H2 fuel; HER; Renewable energy; G-C3N4; Synthesis methods
• ISSN: 0360-3199
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.07.393

As a semiconductor material, graphitic carbon nitrate (g-C3N4) has gained a remarkable interest and attracted the attention of many scholars in environmental photocatalysis, due to its outstanding properties such as: low toxicity, easy synthesis, good thermal and electronic properties, suitable energy band gap (∼2.7 eV), and/or visible light absorption. However, despite all these unique properties there are still some drawbacks that affect its photocatalytic performance for H2 generation via photocatalytic water-splitting such as; massive charge carriers’ recombination, low surface area and low visible light absorption. A lot of attempts and/or efforts has been made to address these drawbacks for better performance of g–C3N4–based material. However, despite all these attempts, there is still little review papers that discuss more on the recent synthesis method and strategies to enhance the performance of g–C3N4–based photocatalyst. Herein, this review focused on recent development and future prospect to enhance the photocatalytic H2 performance of g–C3N4–based photocatalyst for photocatalytic water splitting. The study also goes further to discuss more on the structure and properties of g-C3N4, important of H2 as a fuel, photocatalysis, water splitting (H2 and O2 evaluation reaction), recent synthesis methods, forming heterojunctions, loading sacrificial reagent, and elemental doping, as well as photocatalytic performance of H2 generation of g–C3N4–based materials. This review has explored the necessary roadmap of achieving higher H2 generation rate using g–C3N4–based photocatalysts. [Display omitted] •Structure and properties of g-C3N4 for photocatalytic H2 generation were discussed.•Recent synthesis approaches of g-C3N4 and the most appropriate method of preparation was discussed.•Hydrogen production using g-C3N4 as main photocatalyst and that of g-C3N4 -based materials were also reviewed.•Modification strategies to improved hydrogen production using g-C3N4 photocatalyst were discussed.