Soft-template Synthesis of Mesoporous Carbon Nitride with Enhanced Photocatalytic H2 Evolution under Visible Light

Experimental Section 1. Materials Melamine, sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4) and triethanolamine were purchased from Chengdu Kelong Chemical Reagent Factory. Pluronic P123 was purchased from Aldrich. All reagents were used as received without further treatment. 2. Synthesis of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride The following is a typical procedure for synthesis of worm-like mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride. The melamine (5.0 g) and Pluronic P123 (1.0 g) were dispersed in distilled water (100 mL) by heating at 100 o C for 1 h under reflux. White precipitate was produced by adding sulfuric acid solution (3 mL, H 2 SO 4 :H 2 O = 1:1 in volume) to the solution. After cooling down to room temperature, the precipitate was collected by filtration, and then dried in an oven at 80 o C for over night. The precipitate (3.0 g) was pressed into a quartz boat and then placed in the middle region of a quartz tube with 30 mm in inner diameter and 1000 mm in length. The quartz tube was heated to 380 o C in 5 minutes and then heated to 600 o C in a muffle furnace for 4 h at a heating rate of 1 o C min-1 in the flow of Ar gas. After the reaction, the quartz tube was cooled down to room temperature in the flow of Ar gas. Finally, the product was then calcined at 500 o C for 2 h in air.