Carbon Nitride Conjugated with Catechol Quinone as an Electron Shuttle for Enhanced Photocatalysis
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초록
내용
Carbon nitride (CN) is a promising photocatalyst with visible-light activity, high conduction band-edge position, and environmental benefits. However, its practical use is hindered by poor charge carrier separation and narrow visible-light absorption. This study presents a novel post-synthetic functionalization of CN with catechol quinone (CQ) to enhance its photocatalytic performance. This modification improves spatial charge separation at the CN-CQ interface, facilitated by the photoinduced oscillation of CQ between electron-donating and -accepting states, as confirmed by density functional theory calculations. It also broadens the visible-light absorption spectrum through interfacial charge transfer transitions and lowers energy barriers for electron transfer. As a result, CN-CQ conjugation doubles the photocatalytic efficiency for hydrogen evolution and gold ion reduction. These results suggest further exploration of conjugate-specific modifications for improved performance.