Nanoporous g-C3N4 nanosheets: Facile synthesis and excellent visible-light photocatalytic H2 evolution performance

A facile melamine-involved vapor deposition method was proposed and demonstrated to grow graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) on natural kaolin clay. Nanoporous g-C3N4 nanosheets of 5 nm in thickness containing nanopores of 5-100 nm in diameter were obtained after removing the kaolin. They showed 14 times higher visible-light photocatalytic H2 evolution efficiency than traditional bulk g-C3N4, benefitting from highly increased specific surface area and improved electron transport ability. This vapor deposition strategy can inspire the synthesis of nanoscale g-C3N4 with various tailored structures using diverse natural minerals or other cheap templates.