Preparation of Cu modified g-C3N4 nanorod bundles for efficiently photocatalytic CO2 reduction

Carbon nitride-based photocatalysts for CO2 reduction have received great attention. The introduction of transition metals can effectively improve the photocatalytic efficiency of carbon nitride. However, how to introduce transition metals into carbon nitride in more ways remains a challenge. Herein, the Cu modified g-C3N4 nanorod bundles (CCNBs) were prepared by chemical vapor co-deposition using the mixture of urea and chlorophyllin sodium copper salt as precursor. The prepared CCNBs exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for CO2 reduction. The unique hierarchical structure was beneficial to enhance light harvesting. Besides, the introduction of uniformly dispersed Cu further improved the absorption capacity of visible light, increased active sites, and promoted the separation and transfer of carriers. The CO yield of CCNBs was 5 times higher than that of bulk g-C3N4, and showed excellent stability in cycle experiments. This work provides a strategy to prepare carbon nitride-based photocatalysts for efficient CO2 reduction.