AUTHOR=Mehmood Rashid , Ahmad Zia , Hussain Muhammad Bilal , Athar Muhammad , Akbar Ghulam , Ajmal Zeeshan , Iqbal Sikandar , Razaq Rameez , Ali Mohammad Arif , Qayum Abdul , Chishti Aadil Nabi , Zaman Fakhr uz , Shah Rahim , Zaman Shahid , Adnan  

TITLE=2D–2D heterostructure g-C3N4-based materials for photocatalytic H2 evolution: Progress and perspectives

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Chemistry

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/chemistry/articles/10.3389/fchem.2022.1063288

DOI=10.3389/fchem.2022.1063288

ISSN=2296-2646

ABSTRACT=Photocatalytic hydrogen production from direct water splitting is considered a progressive and renewable energy source. The secret to understanding this phenomenon is discovering an efficient photocatalyst that preferably uses sunlight energy. Two-dimensional (2D) graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) based materials are promising for photocatalytic water splitting due to special characteristics such as appropriate band gap, visible light active, ultra-high specific surface area, and abundantly exposed active sites. However, the inadequate photocatalytic activity of pure 2D layered g-C3N4 based materials is a massive challenge due to the quick recombination between photogenerated holes and electrons. Creating 2D heterogeneous photocatalysts is a cost-effective strategy for clean and renewable hydrogen production on a large scale. 2D g-C3N4 based heterostructure with combined merits of each 2D component, which facilitate the rapid charge separation through heterojunction effect on photocatalyst has been proved very effective in enhancing the photocatalytic performance. To further improve the photocatalytic efficiency, the development of novel 2D g-C3N4-based heterostructure photocatalysts is critical. This mini-review covers the fundamental concepts, recent advancements, and applications in photocatalytic hydrogen production, followed by a brief overview of oxygen evolution over 2D g-C3N4 based heterostructure photocatalysts. Furthermore, the challenges and perspectives on 2D g-C3N4 based heterostructure photocatalysts demonstrate the future direction towards sustainability.