Metal/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Composites: Synthesis, Structures, and Applications

Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ) has been widely used in fields related to energy and materials science. However, nanostructured g‐C 3 N 4 photocatalysts synthesized by traditional thermal polycondensation methods have the disadvantage of small specific surface areas and wide band gaps; these limit the catalytic activity and application range of g‐C 3 N 4 . Based on the unique nanostructure of g‐C 3 N 4 , it is a feasible method to modify g‐C 3 N 4 with metals to design novel metal–semiconductor composites. Metals alter the photochemical properties of g‐C 3 N 4 , in particular, narrow the band gap and expand photoabsorption into the visible range, which improves the photocatalytic performance. This review covers recent progress in metal/g‐C 3 N 4 nanocomposites for photocatalysts, organic systems, biosensors, and so on. The aim is to summarize the synthetic methods, nanostructures, and applications of metal/g‐C 3 N 4 nanocomposite materials, as well as discuss future research directions in these areas.