Promoting condensation kinetics of polymeric carbon nitride for enhanced photocatalytic activities

Polymeric carbon nitride (CN) semiconductor by thermal condensation of N-rich precursors has attracted much attention for its capability ranging from photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical energy conversion to biosensing. However, the influence of condensation process on the final structure of CN was rarely studied, making the condensation kinetic far from be fully optimized. Herein, we report the preparation of CN by a simple condensation kinetics modulation using a faster ramping rate during the polymerization process. The modified condensation recipe was even simpler than the conventional one, but led to an improved photocatalytic H₂ evolution up to 3 times without any additional chemicals or other complements. Detailed mechanism studies revealed the increase of crystallinity and surface area due to the rapid condensation played the key roles. This work would offer a more facile and effective way to prepare bulk CN for large-scale industrial applications of bulk CN with higher photocatalytic actives for sustainable energy, environmental and biosensing.