Synchronous surface hydroxylation and porous modification of g-C3N4 for enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution efficiency

• Synchronous method of hydroxylation and porous modification for C3N4 was developed.
• Hydrothermal route in the presence of ammonium hydroxide led to porous structure.
• Surface area of modified g-C3N4 is more than 3 times that of pristine g-C3N4.
• Surface hydroxylation modification promotes the charge separation efficiency.
• Photocatalytic H2 generation rate of tailored C3N4 is 4.2 times that of bulk C3N4.

Synchronous strategy of nanocrystallization and surface modification for g-C3N4 was developed via a facile hydrothermal route in ammonium hydroxide solution. The characterization results reveal that the tailored sample possesses not only an irregular porous structure, higher BET specific surface area, larger band gap, but also rich surface H-bond network. The photocurrent responses and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicate that the modification process by ammonium hydroxide via hydrothermal reaction can also accelerate the interfacial charge transfer and improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated charges. As a result, the photocatalytic hydrogen generation rate of tailored g-C3N4 is 4.2 times that of bulk g-C3N4.

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