Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (8): 100095.doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100095

Special Issue: S-scheme heterojunction in photocatalysis

• ARTICLE • Previous Articles    

Optimizing interfacial electric fields in carbon nitride nanosheet/spherical conjugated polymer S-scheme heterojunction for hydrogen evolution

Fanpeng Meng1, Fei Zhao2, Jingkai Lin3, Jinsheng Zhao1,*(), Huayang Zhang3,*(), Shaobin Wang3   

  1. 1 Shandong Key Laboratory of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, Shandong Province, China
    2 College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Taishan University, Taian 271000, Shandong Province, China
    3 School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia
  • Received:2025-03-18 Revised:2025-04-02 Accepted:2025-04-15 Published:2025-06-07
  • Contact: Email: j.s.zhao@163.com (Jinsheng Zhao)huayang.zhang@adelaide.edu.au (Huayang Zhang)
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22302085); the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22172069); the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2024QB046); the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2021ME071); the Research Projects of Liaocheng University(318052272); H. Zhang and S. Wang acknowledges the support from Discovery Project(DP230102406); H. Zhang and S. Wang acknowledges the support from Discovery Project(DP240102787); Australian Laureate Fellowships from the Australian Research Council(FL230100178)

Abstract:

Designing heterojunctions based on carbon nitride offers a promising pathway for enhancing photocatalytic efficiency. This study develops an all-organic S-scheme metal-free heterojunction uniquely composed of carbon nitride nanosheets (GCNNS) and a donor-acceptor conjugated polymer, poly p-aminobenzylidene-so-aniline (PASO), synthesized through a simple yet effective ball-milling technique. This heterojunction demonstrates excellent photocatalytic efficiency for hydrogen (H2) evolution. The optimized GCNNS/PASO-10 sample attains an H2 evolution rate of 10.12 mmol·g−1·h−1, which is about 5.9 times and 19.5 times greater than those of pure GCNNS and PASO, respectively. This improvement is due to the unique interfacial bonding, increased visible-light absorption, and efficient charge carrier separation facilitated by a strong internal electric field within the S-scheme. Theoretical calculations and characterization reveal that this heterojunction's S-scheme mechanism optimally aligns energy bands and promotes spatial charge separation, driving superior photocatalytic activity. This work presents the unique advantage of all-organic materials for heterojunction construction and provides insights into designing advanced S-scheme systems for sustainable energy conversion.

Key words: All-organic heterojunction, Carbon nitride nanosheets, S-scheme heterojunction, H2 evolution, D-A conjugated polymers