Photo-activated piezoelectric-catalyzed hydrogen peroxide production in pure water by carbon-modified graphitic carbon nitride

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) production from pure water is a safe and environmentally sustainable synthesis strategy, which can effectively avoid the increase in energy consumption and environmental damage caused by complex processes. Herein, carbon-doped graphitic carbon nitride (C-GCN) was synthesized using a simple one-step thermal polymerization method with glucose as the carbon source for constructing a photo-activated piezoelectric catalytic system, enabling efficient H 2 O 2 production (56.1 μM/h) from pure water without adding any sacrifice agents. Specifically, the introduction of carbon atoms that replace the nitrogen atoms in the nitrogen-doped carbon network forms an asymmetric structure, enhances the in-plane piezoelectricity of C-GCN. Furthermore, carbon doping also improves the light absorption, and under the synergistic effect of polarized charges, there is an explosive acceleration in the separation and migration efficiency of photo-generated charge carriers. This research provides a simple modified route and promising idea for designing efficient GCN-based catalyst for simultaneously enhancing both the piezoelectric catalytic and photocatalytic capabilities. • C-GCN was synthesized using a simple one-step thermal polymerization method with glucose as the carbon source. • Carbon atoms replace the nitrogen atoms in the nitrogen-doped carbon network forms an asymmetric structure. • A photo-activated piezoelectric catalytic H 2 O 2 production system was constructed based on the C-GCN.