Driving hydrogen peroxide artificial photosynthesis and utilization for emerging contaminants removal by cyanided polymeric carbon nitride

To unravel the influence of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of cyano (-C N) groups on the photocatalytic activity of polymeric carbon nitride (PCN), -C N groups were controllably introduced and finely regulated within the PCN framework in this study. The SAR between the -C N contents and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) artificial photosynthesis performance was conclusively confirmed. Comprehensive experimental characterization and theoretical calculations demonstrated that the introduced -C N accelerated the dissociation of excitons to free charge carriers. The excitons dissociation efficiency was enhanced twofold, and the adsorption and activation of O 2 molecules were strengthened, driving the two-electron O 2 reduction reaction (2e - ORR) to produce H 2 O 2 . Importantly, the on-site generation of abundant reactive oxygen species during 2e - ORR by the cyanided PCN photocatalyst demonstrated its outstanding performance for the removal of multifarious emerging contaminants (ECs), including 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, aspirin, and ibuprofen, to realize sustainable water purification .