Nature‐Inspired Environmental “Phosphorylation” Boosts Photocatalytic H₂ Production over Carbon Nitride Nanosheets under Visible‐Light Irradiation

Abstract

Inspired by the crucial roles of phosphates in natural photosynthesis, we explored an environmental "phosphorylation" strategy for boosting photocatalytic H2 production over g-C3N4 nanosheets under visible light. As expected, a substantial improvement was observed in the rate of H2 evolution to 947 μmol h(-1), and the apparent quantum yield was as high as 26.1% at 420 nm. The synergy of enhanced proton reduction and improved hole oxidation is proposed to account for the markedly increased activity. Our findings may provide a promising and facile approach to highly efficient photocatalysis for solar-energy conversion.