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A Rapid Microwave‐Assisted Thermolysis Route to Highly Crystalline Carbon Nitrides for Efficient Hydrogen Generation
Author(s) -
Guo Yufei,
Li Jing,
Yuan Yupeng,
Li Lu,
Zhang Mingyi,
Zhou Chenyan,
Lin Zhiqun
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201608453
Subject(s) - thermal decomposition , materials science , cyanuric acid , melamine , nitride , microwave , carbon nitride , hydrogen production , carbon fibers , chemical engineering , decomposition , graphitic carbon nitride , hydrogen , nanotechnology , photocatalysis , catalysis , chemistry , composite number , organic chemistry , composite material , physics , layer (electronics) , quantum mechanics , engineering
Highly crystalline graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ) with decreased structural imperfections benefits from the suppression of electron–hole recombination, which enhances its hydrogen generation activity. However, producing such g‐C 3 N 4 materials by conventional heating in an electric furnace has proven challenging. Herein, we report on the synthesis of high‐quality g‐C 3 N 4 with reduced structural defects by judiciously combining the implementation of melamine–cyanuric acid (MCA) supramolecular aggregates and microwave‐assisted thermolysis. The g‐C 3 N 4 material produced after optimizing the microwave reaction time can effectively generate H 2 under visible‐light irradiation. The highest H 2 evolution rate achieved was 40.5 μmol h −1 , which is two times higher than that of a g‐C 3 N 4 sample prepared by thermal polycondensation of the same supramolecular aggregates in an electric furnace. The microwave‐assisted thermolysis strategy is simple, rapid, and robust, thereby providing a promising route for the synthesis of high‐efficiency g‐C 3 N 4 photocatalysts.