Preparation of Structure Vacancy Defect Modified Diatomic‐Layered g‐C3N4 Nanosheet with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Abstract Structure self‐modification of graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ) without the assistance of other species has attracted considerable attention. In this study, the structure vacancy defect modified diatomic‐layered g‐C 3 N 4 nanosheet (VCN) is synthesized by thermal treatment of bulk g‐C 3 N 4 in a quartz tube with vacuum atmosphere that will generate a pressure‐thermal dual driving force to boost the exfoliation and formation of structure vacancy for g‐C 3 N 4 . The as‐prepared VCN possesses a large specific surface area with a rich pore structure to provide more active centers for catalytic reactions. Furthermore, the as‐formed special defect level in VCN sample can generate a higher exciton density at photoexcitation stage. Meanwhile, the photogenerated charges will rapidly transfer to VCN surface due to the greatly shortened transfer path resulting from the ultrathin structure (≈1.5 nm), which corresponds to two graphite carbon nitride atomic layers. In addition, the defect level alleviates the drawback of enlarged bandgap caused by the quantum size effect of nano‐scaled g‐C 3 N 4 , resulting in a well visible‐light utilization. As a result, the VCN sample exhibits an excellent photocatalytic performance both in hydrogen production and photodegradation of typical antibiotics.