Achieving Efficient Incorporation of π‐Electrons into Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Markedly Improved Hydrogen Generation

π‐Electrons were rapidly and efficiently incorporated into the g‐C₃N₄ by copolymerizing π‐electrons‐rich barbituric acid with melamine via a microwave‐assisted heating process. The as‐produced g‐C₃N₄ shows a near 20‐fold enhancement in H₂ generation upon exposure to visible light, representing a rate of 25.0 μmol h⁻¹ over 1.3 μmol h⁻¹ from g‐C₃N₄ produced by conventional heating in an electric furnace.

Abstract

A rapid and highly efficient strategy for introducing C into g‐C₃N₄ involves copolymerizing π‐electron‐rich barbituric acid with melamine via a facile microwave‐assisted heating, thereby eliminating the issues in conventional electric furnace heating, such as the severe volatilization, owing to the mismatch of the sublimation temperatures of barbituric acid and melamine. The g‐C₃N₄ catalyst after optimizing the C‐doping content actively generates increased amounts of H₂ under visible light exposure with the highest H₂ generation rate of 25.0 μmol h⁻¹, which is nearly 20 times above that using g‐C₃N₄ produced by conventional electric furnace heating of two identical monomers (1.3 μmol h⁻¹). As such, the microwave‐assisted heating strategy may stand out as an extremely simple route to incorporating π‐electrons into g‐C₃N₄ with markedly improved photocatalytic performance.

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