Tuning the surface hydrophilicity of a C3N4 nanosheet for efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution coupled with microplastic degradation

Simultaneously realizing highly-efficient degradation of microplastics coupled with H2 evolution is urgently demanded to solve the white pollution and energy shortage issues. Herein, we fabricate a series of fragmented hydrophilic homogeneous carbon nitride (TP-PCN) by terminating the polymerization of carbon nitride using iodide ions (I−), which acts as an invisible inhibitor by breaking the π-π bond to reduce the accumulation of ultra-thin layers in PCN to inhibit the polymerization. The H2 evolution rate of resultant photocatalyst could reach 600.3 μmol g−1 h−1 in alkaline polyethylene terephthalate (PET) solution, exhibiting outstanding photocatalytic activity. Meanwhile, the PET was also degraded into small molecules, which were used in agricultural production, food processing and pharmaceuticals. The high photocatalytic activity of the TP-PCN photocatalyst can be ascribed to the promoted hydrophilicity and charge separation ability. This work supplies new insights for the design of functional photocatalysts and developing green technologies to solve environment pollution.