Gold@Carbon Nitride Yolk and Core-Shell Nanohybrids

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) is a promising conjugated polymer with visible light responsiveness and numerous intriguing characteristics that make it highly beneficial for a myriad of potential applications. A novel design and universal approach for the fabrication of unique plasmonic g-C₃N₄ nanoscale hybrids, with well-controlled morphology, is presented. A single gold nanoprism is encapsulated within dense or hollow g-C₃N₄ spheres for the formation of Au@g-C₃N₄ core-shell and Au@g-C₃N₄ yolk-shell nanohybrids. Au nanoprisms were chosen duo to the strong (visible range) plasmon resonances and electromagnetic field hotspots formed at their sharp corners. The incorporation of Au nanoprisms into the g-C₃N₄ nanospheres results in a dramatic ∼threefold rise in the emission of plasmonic g-C₃N₄ yolk-shell nanohybrids and ∼3.6-fold enhancement of the photocurrent density obtained from the plasmonic g-C₃N₄ core-shell nanohybrids, when compared with the g-C₃N₄ hollow nanospheres. Hence, these hybrids can potentially benefit applications in the areas spanning from solar energy harvesting to biomedical imaging and theranostics.