Metal nanoparticles at mesoporous N-doped carbons and carbon nitrides: functional Mott–Schottky heterojunctions for catalysis

Porous carbons and porous carbon nitrides are well known support materials. Some of these materials are, however, not only a geometric construct for immobilization, enabling mass transport at the same time, but contribute due to their extended electronic structure to a potential catalytic event as such. When appropriate band schemes and electron reactivity are chosen, immobilized metal nanoparticles can exhibit a highly enhanced chemical reactivity. This is due to electronic interaction and electron transfer between the metal and semiconductor, as introduced by Mott and Schottky for planar metal-semiconductor interfaces. A rational choice of mesoporous semiconductor and metal particle allows to create a new generation of catalysts and catalytic schemes with unparalleled performances. This tutorial review highlights the latest development in the synthesis and applications of mesoporous N-doped carbon and carbon nitride supported metal nanoparticles, and concentrates on the catalytic effect of the charge transfer between the metal nanoparticles and semiconductive components.