The function-led design of Z-scheme photocatalytic systems based on hollow carbon nitride semiconductors.

A ternary photocatalyst has been successfully constructed through the integration of Au, CdS and hollow carbon nitride nanospheres (HCNS), where Au nanoparticles were designed to shuttle interparticle transfer of charge carriers between CdS and HCNS photosensitizers to establish two-photon (Z-scheme) photocatalytic tandem systems for solar fuel production. The solid-state CdS-Au-HCNS Z-scheme nanocomposites were efficient for H2 evolution (with a quantum yield of 8.7% at 420 nm) and CO2 reduction catalysis with visible light irradiation. This work further proves the feasibility of employing hollow conjugated polymer photocatalysts in the function-led design of artificial Z-type photosynthetic machinery on soft material interfaces.