Oxygen Doping in Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract The incorporation of oxygenic groups could remarkably enhance the light absorption and charge separation of graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ). The intrinsic role of oxygenic species on photocatalytic activity in g‐C 3 N 4 has been intensively studied, but it is still not fully explored. Herein, the essential relationships between oxygenic functionalities and the catalytic performance are revealed. Results demonstrate that C−O−C functionality as an electron trap could help to increase the resistance of conduction transfer ( R ct ) by limiting electrons transfer in CNx. In contrast, N−C−O functionality between different tri‐ s ‐triazine unites could promote the electrons transfer, leading to a reduced R ct in CNx. The best H 2 production rate (3.70 mmol h −1 g −1 , 12.76‐fold higher than that of CN) is obtained over CN3, because of the highest N−C−O ratio ( r N−C−O ). The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of CN3 at 405 nm, 420 nm, 450 nm, 500 nm and 550 nm is 33.90 %, 20.88 %, 8.25 %, 3.66 % and 1.01 %, respectively.