Citation: Jianming Chen, Mao He, Fengmei Zhi, Suqin Wu, Bin Lei, Qin Luo, Chen Lai, Xiaoying Peng, Tianle Ding, Dan Luo, Shou-Ri Sheng, Guiming Peng. Comonomer film-initiated porous carbon nitride photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(12): 112595. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2026.112595 shu

Comonomer film-initiated porous carbon nitride photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting

College of Chemistry and Materials, Key Laboratory of Fluorine and Silicon for Energy Materials and Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China

wusu.qin@163.com

shengsr@jxnu.edu.cn

guiming@jxnu.edu.cn

Received Date: 18 January 2026
Revised Date: 3 March 2026
Accepted Date: 6 March 2026
Available Online: 6 March 2026

Figures(5)

Photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) represents a sustainable technology that could convert solar energy into solar fuels. Synthesis of porous carbon nitride (CN) photoanode with large active surface is crucial for efficient PEC water splitting, however, remains challenging. This work reported a porous CN photoanode with large active surface enabled by melamine-urea comonomer film assembly followed with in-situ thermal condensation. It imparts large surface area, broadened light harvesting, facilitated charge separation, and significantly enhanced electrochemically active surface area. The as-synthesized CN photoanode delivered impressive PEC water splitting performance with photocurrent (at 1.23 V) up to 190 µA/cm² in KOH solution, 2.2 times higher as that of compact CN photoanode. After addition of sacrificial agent in electrolyte, the photocurrent is boosted to 420 µA/cm². Their IPCEs at 400 nm are 13% and 32%, respectively. The improved PEC activity was also visually evidenced by scanning electrochemical microscope measurement. The concept of comonomer film assembly-initiated porous CN film synthesis in this work provides a reliable approach to tailor the photophysical properties of in-situ synthesized CN film, which paves a pathway to enhance/broaden the applications of CN in electronic devices, not just limited to photoelectrochemical water splitting.
- Carbon nitride,
- Water splitting,
- Photoelectrochemical cell,
- Photoanode,
- Scanning electrochemical microscope
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