Photocatalytic H2O2 synthesis emerges as a promising green substitute for the energy-intensive anthraquinone process, yet its efficiency is limited by rapid charge recombination and limited surface active sites in bulk polymeric semiconductors. Herein, we report a topology-directed strategy to tailor the interlayer interactions of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), yielding ultrathin nanosheets with optimized electronic structures. The resulting catalyst exhibits an exceptional H2O2 production rate of 1.34 mmol g−1 h−1 under visible light, surpassing bulk g-C3N4 by a factor of 2.48. Water contact angle measurements confirm the superior hydrophilicity of the engineered nanosheets, facilitating interfacial mass transfer, while in situ FTIR and EPR spectroscopies unravel that the abundant exposed active sites optimize the adsorption configuration of the key *OOH intermediate and promote the generation of •O2− and •OH radicals. Regarding charge transfer dynamics, in situ EPR trapping experiments and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) reveal that the attenuated interlayer coupling induces a robust internal electric field, effectively suppressing carrier recombination and prolonging the exciton lifetime by a factor of 1.249. This work establishes a quantitative structure–activity relationship between interlayer engineering and exciton dynamics, offering a reliable protocol for the rational design of high-performance molecular photocatalysts.
Yang et al. (2026) studied this question.