A multifunctional platform by controlling of carbon nitride in the core-shell structure: From design to construction, and catalysis applications

Core shell structure, which consists of an inner layer “guest” nanomaterial (nonaparticle or nanosheet) encapsulated inside another protective shell, is the most promising system for protecting the core from the surrounding environment, integrating different functional materials and providing a platform to maximize interface connectivity among the multiple components, which might enhance catalytic performance and materialization stability. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), as an intriguing earth-abundant metal-free catalyst with a unique two-dimensional structure, excellent chemical stability, abundant “coordination nest” housing active sites, and tunable electronic structure, is a promising material for the controlled construction of core shell heterojunctions with the largest interface. At present, the applications of g-C3N4 based core shell structured nanomaterials (g-C3N4 CSNs) focus on degradation of contaminants, hydrogen production, reduction of carbon dioxide, fuel cells, as well as water disinfection. This review covers state-of-the-art achievements in g-C3N4 CSNs. The depiction comprises four sections based on g-C3N4 CSNs: the advantages of core shell structure and g-C3N4 CSNs; the design for the construction of g-C3N4 CSNs from both architectures and functions; a comprehensive overview of major advances in the synthesis of g-C3N4 CSNs; the discussion of their applications in photocatalysis, photoelectrocatalysis, and electrocatalysis. Moreover, recent strides in developing synthesis and catalytic applications of g-C3N4 CSNs, as well as an outlook section of offering some insights on the future directions and prospects of g-C3N4 CSNs, will be highlighted with the aim of overcoming the present limitations by exploiting more creative prepared methodologies and exploring other practical applications.