Benchmarking recent advances in hydrogen production using g-C3N4-based photocatalysts

Hydrogen (H2) is currently one of the most exciting renewable energy sources. The photocatalytic H2 evolution pathway is the most promising pathway for converting solar energy into chemical energy via water splitting. As a semiconductor substance with a low bandgap (2.7 eV), g-C3N4 paired with various materials, including metals or other semiconductors, has gained practical significance for H2 generation using solar or simulated solar light. This article describes the structural peculiarities and electronic properties of g-C3N4, design strategies for efficient photocatalytic g-C3N4-derived materials for H2 evolution, and the significance and current benchmarking progress in functional g-C3N4 material-aided photocatalytic H2 production. The meticulous literature review revealed that the selected topic is a strong and currently trending area of modern research toward the production of clean energy. Further, various strategies that appear in this area are discussed, including the bandgap engineering of g-C3N4 enabled by doping with metals/non-metals/semiconductors hybridization using different types of heterojunctions and sensitization techniques, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR)/near-field electromagnetic (NFE) effects together with organic dye sensitization. This review benchmarks the recent advancements in H2 evolution enabled by functional g-C3N4 photocatalytic materials. Graphical representations of the quantum of research publications that have emerged in this field and its sub-divisions, together with a tabulated brief review of the reviewed articles, have been included for an easy diagnosis of its recent advancements and vast future scope.