Hydrogen-bond-based charge bridge in 1,3,6,8-Tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) pyrene/carbon nitride heterojunction for photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Constructing hydrogen bonds through the heterojunction is expected be a successful tactic for achieving efficient charge separation. Here, we presented a heterojunction between 1,3,6,8-Tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) pyrene (T) and carbon nitride (CN), named T/CN. Hydrogen bonds formed between carboxyl groups of T and pyridine N in CN through the heterojunction. T/CN exhibited improved visible light absorption and enhanced charge carrier separation. The yield of CH 4 over T/CN reached up to 17.8 μmol·g −1 ·h −1 , ∼7 times higher than that of CN (2.55 μmol·g −1 ·h −1 ). This work improved the photocatalytic performance of carbon nitride by synthesizing heterojunction catalysts containing hydrogen bonds, which provided a scheme for the diversified development of heterojunction catalysts.