Facile method for creating frustrated Lewis pairs in g-C3N4 to enhance photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance

The rate-limited activation of N N triple bonds with high bond energies has been a bottleneck in photoctalytic nitrogen fixation. Here, polymeric carbon nitride with frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) was constructed by inserting electron-deficient magnesium into g-C 3 N 4 (CN). The synergistic interactions between Mg and amino groups in CN led to a 7.2 fold increase in the photoreactivity of nitrogen (N 2 ) fixation by carbon nitride. FLPs were constructed in g-C 3 N 4 , which significantly improved the photocatalytic performance for N 2 fixation.