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A Tautomeric Carbon Nitride Structure for Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting
Mingyang Qie1, Xiaohong Cheng1, Qiqi Sun1
1State Key Laboratory of Chemistry for NBC Hazards Protection, State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, P. R. China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|August 10, 2026
Summary
A new pseudo-resonance transformation creates a novel polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) heterojunction. This dangling-bond-free interface significantly boosts photocatalytic water splitting for efficient solar-fuel production.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photocatalysis
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) heterojunctions are key for photocatalysis.
- Conventional PCN heterojunctions suffer from poor interfacial contact and charge transfer, limiting performance.
- Challenges include incoherent interfaces, high resistance, and misaligned energy levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel strategy for constructing high-performance PCN-based heterojunctions.
- To overcome limitations of conventional type-II heterojunctions in PCN.
- To enhance photocatalytic overall water splitting efficiency.
Main Methods:
- A pseudo-resonance transformation strategy was employed.
- Melon-type carbon nitride (MCN) was converted into a conjugated derivative (C─MCN).
- A unique MCN/C─MCN tautomeric heterojunction with a coherent, dangling-bond-free interface was constructed.
Main Results:
- The MCN/C─MCN tautomeric heterojunction exhibited a chemically bonded, coherent interface.
- Carrier dynamics showed lowered exciton dissociation barriers and facilitated interfacial charge transfer.
- Hydrogen evolution rates were 2.3x (vs. MCN) and 2.6x (vs. C─MCN) higher.
Conclusions:
- A new paradigm for fabricating dangling-bond-free polymeric heterojunctions was established.
- The MCN/C─MCN tautomeric heterojunction shows outstanding photocatalytic water splitting performance.
- This approach offers an efficient pathway for solar-fuel production.
Keywords:
coherent interfaceoverall water splittingphotocatalysistautomeric heterojunctiontype‐II mechanismMore Related Videos
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