Facile one-pot synthesis of C, O-codoped nano-structured g-C3N4 with superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Doping is an effect strategy to improve the visible-light-driven photocatalytic activities of g-C3N4. Herein, C, O-codoped nano-structured g-C3N4 was facilely synthesized in one pot by introducing ordinary ethanol into the polymerization process of melamine. It exhibited favorable visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production activity 4.29 times higher than that of bulk g-C3N4 synthesized from pure melamine. The enhanced photocatalytic activities benefit from the improvements in both optical absorption and photo-induced exciton separation, which is induced by the midgap states caused by C, O-doping. The proposed method has also been demonstrated versatile to improve g-C3N4 samples derived from other C/N precursors (dicyandiamide and cyanamide).