Photocatalytic Innovations in g-C3N4/TiO2 Systems

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) coupled with titanium dioxide (TiO2) has emerged as a versatile platform in photocatalysis, uniting the visible-light absorption of g-C3N4 with the robust oxidation power and photostability of TiO2. Recent innovations centre on architecting heterostructures—laminated interfaces, Z-scheme arrangements and hierarchical assemblies—to promote rapid photogenerated charge separation, broaden the solar absorption range and improve quantum efficiencies. By modulating factors such as g-C3N4 loading, morphology (nanosheets, nanotubes) and doping agents, researchers have fine-tuned band alignments to drive water oxidation, hydrogen evolution and degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants. The synergy between TiO2 phases (anatase, rutile), g-C3N4 nanoforms and co-catalysts (metal nanoparticles, dopants) governs active-site distribution and interfacial charge dynamics, yielding materials with enhanced photostability and recyclability under natural sunlight. Synthetic advances—from in situ molecular self-assembly and metal–organic framework templating to low-loading surface treatments—have produced composites with high surface areas, controlled porosity and robust heterojunction contacts. These developments have accelerated the translation of g-C3N4/TiO2 systems from fundamental studies to practical applications in environmental remediation, solar fuel generation and photoelectrochemical devices, marking a critical step towards scalable, cost-effective solar-driven technologies.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated laminated heterojunctions between black TiO2 nanobelts and g-C3N4 nanosheets that suppress charge recombination and enhance visible-light absorption, leading to near-complete dye degradation and an order-of-magnitude increase in hydrogen evolution rates. More recently, multilayer heterointerfaces formed by surface modification of TiO2 with low g-C3N4 content have revealed a Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism, boosting photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes across ultraviolet, visible and solar spectra and offering insights into interface design for broad-spectrum performance.

Photocatalytic Innovations in g-C3N4/TiO2 Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in photocatalytic innovations in g-c3n4/tio2 systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Heterojunction: Interface between two semiconductors enabling efficient separation of photogenerated charges.

Z-scheme: Two-photocatalyst charge-transfer architecture mimicking natural photosynthesis to preserve strong redox potentials.

Photogenerated electron-hole pair: Electron and corresponding positive hole created when a semiconductor absorbs a photon.

Band gap: Energy difference between the valence band and conduction band determining the threshold for photon absorption.

Quantum yield: Ratio of the number of chemical events (e.g. molecules degraded or H₂ molecules produced) to the number of photons absorbed, indicating photocatalytic efficiency.

References

1. Black TiO2 nanobelts/g-C3N4 nanosheets Laminated Heterojunctions with Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Performance. Scientific Reports (2017).
2. Novel multilayer TiO2 heterojunction decorated by low g-C3N4 content and its enhanced photocatalytic activity under UV, visible and solar light irradiation. Scientific Reports (2019).
3. Identification of Active Species in Photodegradation of Aqueous Imidacloprid over g-C3N4/TiO2 Nanocomposites. Catalysts (2022).
4. Heterostructured g-CN/TiO2 Photocatalysts Prepared by Thermolysis of g-CN/MIL-125(Ti) Composites for Efficient Pollutant Degradation and Hydrogen Production. Nanomaterials (2020).
5. In Situ Construction of Ag/TiO2/g-C3N4 Heterojunction Nanocomposite Based on Hierarchical Co-Assembly with Sustainable Hydrogen Evolution. Nanomaterials (2019).