Semiconductor-based photocatalysis is considered to be an attractive way for solving the worldwide energy shortage and environmental pollution issues. Since the pioneering work in 2009 on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) for visible-light photocatalytic water splitting, g-C3N4 -based photocatalysis has become a very hot research topic. This review summarizes the recent progress regarding the design and preparation of g-C3N4 -based photocatalysts, including the fabrication and nanostructure design of pristine g-C3N4 , bandgap engineering through atomic-level doping and molecular-level modification, and the preparation of g-C3N4 -based semiconductor composites. Also, the photo-catalytic applications of g-C3N4 -based photocatalysts in the fields of water splitting, CO2 reduction, pollutant degradation, organic syntheses, and bacterial disinfection are reviewed, with emphasis on photocatalysis promoted by carbon materials, non-noble-metal cocatalysts, and Z-scheme heterojunctions. Finally, the concluding remarks are presented and some perspectives regarding the future development of g-C3N4 -based photocatalysts are highlighted.

Polymeric Photocatalysts Based on Graphitic Carbon Nitride

The applications of copper (Cu) and Cu-based nanoparticles, which are based on the earth-abundant and inexpensive copper metal, have generated a great deal of interest in recent years, especially in the field of catalysis. The possible modification of the chemical and physical properties of these nanoparticles using different synthetic strategies and conditions and/or via postsynthetic chemical treatments has been largely responsible for the rapid growth of interest in these nanomaterials and their applications in catalysis. In addition, the design and development of novel support and/or multimetallic systems (e.g., alloys, etc.) has also made significant contributions to the field. In this comprehensive review, we report different synthetic approaches to Cu and Cu-based nanoparticles (metallic copper, copper oxides, and hybrid copper nanostructures) and copper nanoparticles immobilized into or supported on various support materials (SiO2, magnetic support materials, etc.), along with their applications i...

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00482

Cu and Cu-Based Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Applications in Catalysis.

Graphene wrapped Cu2O nanocubes: Non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors for the detection of glucose and hydrogen peroxide with enhanced stability

This review captures the synthesis, assembly, properties, and applications of copper chalcogenide NCs, which have achieved significant research interest in the last decade due to their compositional and structural versatility. The outstanding functional properties of these materials stems from the relationship between their band structure and defect concentration, including charge carrier concentration and electronic conductivity character, which consequently affects their optoelectronic, optical, and plasmonic properties. This, combined with several metastable crystal phases and stoichiometries and the low energy of formation of defects, makes the reproducible synthesis of these materials, with tunable parameters, remarkable. Further to this, the review captures the progress of the hierarchical assembly of these NCs, which bridges the link between their discrete and collective properties. Their ubiquitous application set has cross-cut energy conversion (photovoltaics, photocatalysis, thermoelectrics), en...

Compound Copper Chalcogenide Nanocrystals

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to higher-value hydrocarbons beyond C1 products is desirable for applications in energy storage, transportation and the chemical industry. Cu catalysts have shown the potential to catalyse C–C coupling for C2+ products, but still suffer from low selectivity in water. Here, we use density functional theory to determine the energetics of the initial C–C coupling steps on different Cu facets in CO2 reduction, and suggest that the Cu(100) and stepped (211) facets favour C2+ product formation over Cu(111). To demonstrate this, we report the tuning of facet exposure on Cu foil through the metal ion battery cycling method. Compared with the polished Cu foil, our 100-cycled Cu nanocube catalyst with exposed (100) facets presents a sixfold improvement in C2+ to C1 product ratio, with a highest C2+ Faradaic efficiency of over 60% and H2 below 20%, and a corresponding C2+ current of more than 40 mA cm–2. Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to products containing multiple carbon atoms is useful for producing high-value chemicals and fuels. This work uses theory to predict the preferred copper surface for C–C coupling, and subsequent metal ion cycling to produce the desired facets results in a catalyst that is highly selective for C2+ products.

Metal ion cycling of Cu foil for selective C–C coupling in electrochemical CO2 reduction

In this study, a new series of Cu2O nanocrystals with systematic shape evolution from cubic to face-raised cubic, edge- and corner-truncated octahedral, all-corner-truncated rhombic dodecahedral, {100}-truncated rhombic dodecahedral, and rhombic dodecahedral structures have been synthesized. The average sizes for the cubes, edge- and corner-truncated octahedra, {100}-truncated rhombic dodecahedra, and rhombic dodecahedra are approximately 200, 140, 270, and 290 nm, respectively. An aqueous mixture of CuCl2, sodium dodecyl sulfate, NaOH, and NH2OH·HCl was prepared to produce these nanocrystals at room temperature. Simple adjustment of the amounts of NH2OH·HCl introduced enables this particle shape evolution. These novel particle morphologies have been carefully analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The solution color changes quickly from blue to green, yellow, and then orange within 1 min of reaction in the formation of nanocubes, while such color change takes 10–20 min in the growth of rhomb...

Synthesis of Cu2O nanocrystals from cubic to rhombic dodecahedral structures and their comparative photocatalytic activity.

We report a simple solvothermal synthesis approach to the growth of CuInS2 nanocrystals with zincblende- and wurtzite-phase structures. Zincblende nanocrystals with particle sizes of 10–20 nm were produced using oleylamine as the solvent. When ethylenediamine was used as the solvent, similarly sized wurtzite nanocrystals with some degree of particle aggregation were formed. Use of a mixture of these solvents gave products with mixed phases including some polyhedral nanostructures. The crystal phases of these nanocrystals were carefully determined by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis. All the samples exhibit strong absorption from the entire visible light region to the near-infrared region beyond 1300 nm. Pure-phase zincblende and wurtzite CuInS2 nanocrystals were employed as ink in the fabrication of solar cells. The spray-coated nanocrystal layer was subjected to a selenization process. A power conversion efficiency of ∼0.74% and a good external quantum efficiency profile ov...

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Wan-Chen Huang

Papers

Synthesis of Cu2O nanocrystals from cubic to rhombic dodecahedral structures and their comparative photocatalytic activity.

Solvothermal Synthesis of Zincblende and Wurtzite CuInS2 Nanocrystals and Their Photovoltaic Application