Atomically dispersed magnesium enhancing reactive oxygen species generation over g-C3N4 nanosheets for efficient photocatalytic NO removal

Photoinduced reactive oxygen species (ROS)-involving nitrogen oxide (NOx) abatement offers a green way to mitigate environmental air pollution. Developing cost-effective photocatalysts remains challenging yet crucial. Herein, an atomically dispersed Mg-modified g-C3N4 nanosheet photocatalyst (xMg-CN) with excellent photoactivity is developed. The 1.0Mg-CN sample delivers a high NO removal rate of 52.3% under visible light irradiation within 30 min, far surpassing the Mg-free analog (CN, 41.2%). Moreover, a suppressed NO2 by-product discharge can be achieved. The introduction of Mg single atoms (SAs) alters the charge density distribution on the triazine ring plane of g-C3N4, inducing the formation of a built-in electric field, which improves the photoexcited charge carrier separation. Additionally, Mg SAs contribute to the adsorption and activation of O2 molecules, resulting in enhanced ROS production, as evidenced by the experiments and theoretical simulations. The findings shed light on the role of SAs in designing highly efficient g-C3N4-based photocatalysts for air purification.