(111) Facets-Oriented Au-Decorated Carbon Nitride Nanoplatelets for Visible-Light-Driven Overall Water Splitting

Development of a simple and stable photocatalyst for overall water splitting is a promising avenue for solar energy conversion. Here, carbon nitride (CN) nanosheet panels decorated with in situ-formed (111) facets-oriented Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been prepared by vapor-deposition polymerization followed by an easy immersion technique. Benefiting from the enhanced visible light absorption, the surface plasmon resonance effect of AuNPs, rapid transportation and separation of charge carriers, as well as better-aligned valence band levels, the as-obtained photocatalyst shows effective overall water splitting with stoichiometric H₂ and O₂ evolution even without any sacrificial agent, distinct from the half-reaction of Pt-decorated CN. This work opens up a brand-new route for facet self-selective growth of metal on two-dimensional conjugated carbon nitride materials, which has been demonstrated to be effective for artificial photosynthesis applications.