A review on g-C3N4 for photocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction

•New synthesis strategy for g-C3N4 production was summarized.•Novel ideas on extending the absorption edge of g-C3N4 were reviewed.•The overall water splitting and CO2 photoreduction were highlighted.

Solar fuel generation through water splitting and CO2 photoreduction is an ideal route to provide the renewable energy sources and mitigate global warming. The main challenge in photocatalysis is finding a low-cost photocatalyst that can work efficiently to split water into hydrogen and reduce CO2 to hydrocarbon fuels. Metal-free g-C3N4 photocatalyst shows great potentials for solar fuel production. In this mini review, we summarize the most current advances on novel design idea and new synthesis strategy for g-C3N4 preparation, insightful ideas on extending optical absorption of pristine g-C3N4, overall water splitting and CO2 photoreduction over g-C3N4 based systems. The research challenges and perspectives on g-C3N4 based photocatalysts were also suggested.

Graphical abstractDownload full-size image