The facile synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride from amino acid and urea for photocatalytic H2 production

We report on the facile synthesis of g-C3N4 based polymers by co-condensing urea with glycine for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The as-prepared photocatalysts were then characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence emission spectrometry, electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy. Compared with pristine g-C3N4, obtained from direct pyrolysis of urea, the CNU-G5 photocatalyst showed largely enhanced photocatalytic H2 activities about 75 μmol h−1, which is 5 times higher than of the pristine CNU. The enhanced activities are ascribed to the larger specific area surface, strengthened optical absorption and improved electron transport ability. Our work opens up a new pathway for the synthesis graphitic carbon nitride photocatalysts with glycine modification to enhance photocatalytic activities.