Metal/Graphitic Carbon Nitride Composites: Synthesis, Structures, and Applications

Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) has been widely used in fields related to energy and materials science. However, nanostructured g‐C3N4 photocatalysts synthesized by traditional thermal polycondensation methods have the disadvantage of small specific surface areas and wide band gaps; these limit the catalytic activity and application range of g‐C3N4. Based on the unique nanostructure of g‐C3N4, it is a feasible method to modify g‐C3N4 with metals to design novel metal–semiconductor composites. Metals alter the photochemical properties of g‐C3N4, in particular, narrow the band gap and expand photoabsorption into the visible range, which improves the photocatalytic performance. This review covers recent progress in metal/g‐C3N4 nanocomposites for photocatalysts, organic systems, biosensors, and so on. The aim is to summarize the synthetic methods, nanostructures, and applications of metal/g‐C3N4 nanocomposite materials, as well as discuss future research directions in these areas.