Anchoring single/dual metal centers on carbon nitride: Sustainable routes for greenhouse gas conversion and organic photosynthesis

doi:10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65008-5

Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2026, Vol. 85: 13-33.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65008-5

• Reviews • Previous Articles Next Articles

Anchoring single/dual metal centers on carbon nitride: Sustainable routes for greenhouse gas conversion and organic photosynthesis

Qing Lan^a, Su-Juan Jin^a, Ying-Ying Jiao^b^,^c(), Zhi-Ming Zhang^b()

^a Engineering Technology Research Center of Henan Province for Solar Catalysis, College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, Henan, China
^b Institute of New Energy Materials & Low Carbon Technology, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
^c College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou Normal University, Zhengzhou 450044, Henan, China

Received:2025-08-21 Accepted:2025-12-09 Online:2026-06-18 Published:2026-05-18
Contact: *E-mail: yyjiao0210@163.com (Y. Jiao),
zmzhang@email.tjut.edu.cn (Z. Zhang).
About author:Ying-Ying Jiao (Tianjin University of Technology, Institute for New Energy Materials and Low Carbon Technologies) obtained her PhD degree from Zheng-zhou University. From 2022 to 2023, she studied at the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain as an exchange student. In 2023, she joined the Institute for New Energy Materials and Low Carbon Technologies, Tianjin University of Technology. Her research interests focus on the application of carbon nitride based semiconductor materials in the field of photocatalysis.
Zhi-Ming Zhang (Tianjin University of Technology, Institute for New Energy Materials and Low Carbon Technologies) received the PhD degree in inorganic chemistry from Northeast Normal University in 2010. He was an iCHEM fellow at Xiamen University, and a visiting scholar at University of Chicago during 2013–2015. His research focuses on controlled synthesis of clusters, catalyst@photosensitiser composite catalytic systems. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, such as Nat. Synth., PANS, Natl. Sci. Rev., CCS Chem, J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem., Nat. Commun. and Adv. Mater. with over 10000 times citations, in which 12 papers are listed as highly cited papers by ESI.
Supported by:
National Natural Science Foundation of China(92580109);Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City of China(25JCZDJC00570);Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province(252300423754);Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province(262102321040);Key Science Research Project of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province(26A150049);Key Science Research Project of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province(26B430036);Key Science Research Project of Colleges and Universities in Henan Province(24B430015);Science and Technology Research Project of Nanyang City's Science and Technology Plan(24KJGG106);Special Project of Nanyang Normal University(2024PY003)

Abstract

Abstract:

Single-atom and dual-atom catalysts (SACs/DACs) have attracted significant interest owing to their maximized atom utilization efficiency and distinctive synergistic properties. Nevertheless, the fabrication of highly efficient and stable SACs/DACs continues to present considerable challenges, largely due to elevated surface energy and the complexity of achieving precise coordination environments and spatial distribution of metallic sites. Effective regulation of chemical bonding between metal centers and supporting matrices is crucial to suppress aggregation tendencies. Carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has gained prominence as a robust scaffold for immobilizing SACs and DACs, attributed to its well-defined electronic configuration, notable chemical stability, and customizable surface characteristics. A dynamic electronic interplay is observed: metal species tailor the electronic properties of g-C₃N₄, while the support reciprocally modulates the catalytic behavior of metal active sites. This review comprehensively outlines recent progress in g-C₃N₄-based SACs and DACs, with focused discussion on synthetic methodologies, reaction mechanisms, and applications in greenhouse gas transformation and photosynthetic organic synthesis. Furthermore, the article emphasizes emerging trends in advanced characterization, precision synthesis, and the elucidation of bidirectional metal-support interactions, offering insightful directions for subsequent research in the field.

Key words: Single/dual atom, Metal centers, Carbon nitride, Greenhouse gas conversion, Organic photosynthesis

Qing Lan, Su-Juan Jin, Ying-Ying Jiao, Zhi-Ming Zhang. Anchoring single/dual metal centers on carbon nitride: Sustainable routes for greenhouse gas conversion and organic photosynthesis[J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2026, 85: 13-33.

×
share this article

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65008-5

https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/Y2026/V85/I6/13

Figures/Tables 19

Fig. 1. The development and statistics of g-C?N?-supported SACs and DACs. (a) The number of publications between 2020 and 2025. (b) The number of citations each year.

Fig. 2. g-C3N4-supported SACs and DACs schematic diagram according to the summary of time development.

Fig. 3. Synthesis strategies for g-C3N4-based SACs/DACs.

Fig. 4. (a) Schematic illustration of the preparation of Fe-g-C3N4 SACs. STEM (b), AC-HAADF-STEM (c), and corresponding EDX elemental mapping (d) images of Fe-g-C3N4 SACs. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [43]. Copyright 2022, Elsevier.

Fig. 5. Characterization of SACo/g-C3N4. (a) SEM image of SACo/g-C3N4, and the inset shows the optical image of 1.1 g SACo/g-C3N4. TEM (b) and HAADF-STEM (c) images of SACo/g-C3N4. (d) HAADF and the corresponding EDS mapping images of SACo/g-C3N4, the scale bar is 100 nm. HRTEM (e) and AC-STEM-annular dark field (ADF) (f) images of SACo/g-C3N4. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [55]. Copyright 2021, RSC.

Fig. 6. Physical characterization of Ni-g-C3N4. (a) Schematic illustration of the preparation. SEM (b), HRTEM (c), AC HAADF-STEM (d), and EDS mapping (e) images. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [62]. Copyright 2022, Nature.

Fig. 7. (a) Schematic illustration of the synthesis process of Cu SACs/g-C3N4 photocatalyst. TEM (b), HRTEM (c), and AC STEM (d) images of Cu SACs/g-C3N4. Cu single atoms were marked with red circles. (e) Elemental mapping image of Cu SACs/g-C3N4. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [59]. Copyright 2021, Wiley.

Fig. 8. (a) Schematic diagram of catalyst synthesis processes. (b) Typical time course of CO evolution catalyzed by g-C3N4-CoxNiy and the photocatalytic CO2 reduction mechanism in this system. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [73]. Copyright 2022, Elsvier.

Fig. 9. Two-step strategy for the precise synthesis of heteronuclear DACs. (a) A schematic illustration of the navigation and positioning strategy for fabricating ZnRu-, NiRu-, ZnCu-, CoCu-, NiCu- and BiCu-g-C3N4 heteronuclear DACs. (b) Photocatalytic H2 evolution in H2O in the presence of LA. (c) PA production of ZnRu-g-C3N4 and control samples. (d) A schematic diagram of photocatalysis process (grey, blue, pink and green balls represent C, N, Ru and Zn, respectively). Reprinted with permission from Ref. [75]. Copyright 2024, Nature.

Table 1 Summary of various applications of g-C3N4-based SACs/DACs.

Photo catalyst	Fabricating method	Application	Photocatalyst eﬃciency	Production	Characteristic	Advantages	Ref.
Co-SNC	ball-milling	benzylamine self-coupling reaction	97.5% conversion with 99% selectivity	N-benzylidene-benzylamine	high-performance dual-site SACs	high selectivity	[18]
W-SA-PCN	calcining	CH₄ Photooxidation	4956 µmol·g_cat^∙1	C₁ oxygenates	WN₄ coordination mode	high productivity	[79]
Cu-CCN	molten salts	CO₂ photoreduction	3.086 μmol·h^∙1·g^∙1	CO	crystalline g-C₃N₄ accompanied with Cu ions	highly selectivity	[36]
Cu/CN	supramolecular preorganization with subsequent condensation,	CO₂ photoreduction	224.2 μmol∙h^∙1∙g^∙1	CO	C-Cu-N₂ SAC for CO₂ activation	high CO-selectivity	[84]
PCN-RuCu	preassembly-coprecipitation-pyrolysis	CO₂ Photoreduction	19.25 µmol· g^-1·h^-1	CH₄	Ru sites account for electron-hole pairs and Cu sites for CO₂ hydrogenation	high selectivity of 95%	[91]
Ag₁(x)@PCN	impregnation and pyrolysis	CO₂ photoreduction	160 μmol·h^∙1·g^∙1	CO	Ag single atoms anchored on hollow porous polygonal C₃N₄ tubes	excellent stability	[51]
M₁M₂-PCN DACs	photoinduced strategy	Photocatalytic H₂ evolution	345 mmol∙ g_Ru^∙1∙h^∙1	H₂	anchoring heteronuclear dual-metal dimers on a photosensitizing PCN to construct a series of DACs	bimetallic precise identification	[75]
RuSA-mC₃N₄	SBA-15	CO₂ photoreduction	250 μmol·h^∙1·g^∙1	Methanol	Ruthenium single atom over mesoporous C₃N₄	high methanol yield	[82]
CoRu-HCNp	self-seeded process with condensation and carbonization	CO₂ photoreduction	27.3 µmol·g^-1·h^-1	CO	Conjugated porous carbon nitride polymer with precise control of Co-Ru atomic configuration	High CO-selectivity	[94]
Pd₁+NPs/ C₃N₄	calcining	CO₂ photoreduction	20.3 µmol·g^-1·h^-1	CH₄	Pd₁ sites activated CO₂ and PdNPs sites increased H* coverage	high selectivity of 97.8%	[92]

Table 1 Summary of various applications of g-C3N4-based SACs/DACs.

Photo catalyst	Fabricating method	Application	Photocatalyst eﬃciency	Production	Characteristic	Advantages	Ref.
Co-SNC	ball-milling	benzylamine self-coupling reaction	97.5% conversion with 99% selectivity	N-benzylidene-benzylamine	high-performance dual-site SACs	high selectivity	[18]
W-SA-PCN	calcining	CH₄ Photooxidation	4956 µmol·g_cat^∙1	C₁ oxygenates	WN₄ coordination mode	high productivity	[79]
Cu-CCN	molten salts	CO₂ photoreduction	3.086 μmol·h^∙1·g^∙1	CO	crystalline g-C₃N₄ accompanied with Cu ions	highly selectivity	[36]
Cu/CN	supramolecular preorganization with subsequent condensation,	CO₂ photoreduction	224.2 μmol∙h^∙1∙g^∙1	CO	C-Cu-N₂ SAC for CO₂ activation	high CO-selectivity	[84]
PCN-RuCu	preassembly-coprecipitation-pyrolysis	CO₂ Photoreduction	19.25 µmol· g^-1·h^-1	CH₄	Ru sites account for electron-hole pairs and Cu sites for CO₂ hydrogenation	high selectivity of 95%	[91]
Ag₁(x)@PCN	impregnation and pyrolysis	CO₂ photoreduction	160 μmol·h^∙1·g^∙1	CO	Ag single atoms anchored on hollow porous polygonal C₃N₄ tubes	excellent stability	[51]
M₁M₂-PCN DACs	photoinduced strategy	Photocatalytic H₂ evolution	345 mmol∙ g_Ru^∙1∙h^∙1	H₂	anchoring heteronuclear dual-metal dimers on a photosensitizing PCN to construct a series of DACs	bimetallic precise identification	[75]
RuSA-mC₃N₄	SBA-15	CO₂ photoreduction	250 μmol·h^∙1·g^∙1	Methanol	Ruthenium single atom over mesoporous C₃N₄	high methanol yield	[82]
CoRu-HCNp	self-seeded process with condensation and carbonization	CO₂ photoreduction	27.3 µmol·g^-1·h^-1	CO	Conjugated porous carbon nitride polymer with precise control of Co-Ru atomic configuration	High CO-selectivity	[94]
Pd₁+NPs/ C₃N₄	calcining	CO₂ photoreduction	20.3 µmol·g^-1·h^-1	CH₄	Pd₁ sites activated CO₂ and PdNPs sites increased H* coverage	high selectivity of 97.8%	[92]

Fig. 10. Calculated PDOS of g-C3N4 (a) and In1/g-C3N4 (b). (c) Calculated Gibbs free energy diagram for CO2 reduction pathways to CO on g-C3N4, In1/g-C3N4 and Co1/g-C3N4. (d) Computed Gibbs free energy for steps in photocatalytic *CO-to-CHO on g-C3N4, In1/g-C3N4 and Co1/g-C3N4. (e) Calculated Gibbs free energy diagram for CO2 reduction pathways to CH4 on Co1In1/g-C3N4. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [61]. Copyright 2025, Elsevier.

Fig. 11. (a) EXAFS spectra of Co K-edge for Co foil, Co3O4 and Co1In1/g-C3N4. (b) Co K-edge FT-EXAFS spectra. (c) EXAFS spectra of In K-edge for In foil, In2O3 and Co1In1/g-C3N4. (d) In K-edge FT-EXAFS spectra. In-situ DRIFTS spectra at different irradiation times on g-C3N4 (e) and Co1In1/g-C3N4 (f). Reprinted with permission from Ref. [61]. Copyright 2025, Elsevier.

Fig. 12. (a) HAADF-STEM image of W-SA-g-C3N4-7.5 showing the W-single-atom distribution on g-C3N4, (b) CH3OH yield of SAP and control samples, (c) Time-course plots of CH3OH yield, and (d) DFT calculations results for CH4 oxidation with W-SA-g-C3N4-7.5 as the photocatalyst. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [79]. Copyright 2022, Wiley.

Fig. 13. TEM images and synchrotron radiation analysis of g-C3N4 and Cu/g-C3N4 samples. TEM (a), (b) HADDF-STEM, and (c) EDS elemental mapping images of Cu/g-C3N4-3. (d) FT-EXAFS and (e) XANES spectra of Cu K-edge for the Cu/g-C3N4 samples with Cu foil, Cu2O and CuO as the references. (f) CO2 photoreduction performance of g-C3N4 and Cu/g-C3N4 at the first hour of irradiation. (g) Time courses of photocatalytic activities of Cu/g-C3N4-0.25 and (h) GC-MS analysis of reaction products with 12C and 13C as carbon source, respectively. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [84]. Copyright 2020, American Chemical Society.

Fig. 14. (a) Schematic illustration of synthetic procedure for PtCu-g-C3N4. (b) AC-HAADF-STEM images of PtCu-g-C3N4 (the right shows partially zoomed-in images of the selected region 2, and corresponding intensity pro?le along the labeled line 1; scale bar: 0.1 nm). (c) The Cu and Pt contents measured by ICP-MS test. (d) Comparable photocatalytic yield for CO of PtCu-g-C3N4, Cu-g-C3N4, Pt-g-C3N4, and g-C3N4 under simulated solar illumination. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [93]. Copyright 2022, Elsevier.

Fig. 15. (a) Schematic illustration of the developed ball-milling approach. (b) HAADF-STEM/EDX-mapping images of Co-SNC and Co-NC. (c-f) Catalytic performance of Co-SNC in benzylamine self-coupling reaction. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [18]. Copyright 2021, Wiley-VCH.

Fig. 16. (a) Diagrammatic illustration of the preparation of Ni-SA/g-C3N4. (b) Representative HAADF-STEM image. (c) The intensity pro?les obtained in regions 1 and 2 in (b). (d) TEM and matching EDS elemental mapping images of Ni-SA/g-C3N4, (e) Oxidative imine formation catalyzed by a Ni SAC. Reprinted with permission from Ref. [99]. Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society.

Fig. 17. Photocatalytic applications of g-C3N4-based SACs and DACs.

Fig. 18. Future perspectives of g-C3N4-based SACs and DACs.

References

[1]	J. Marshall, Nature, 2014, 510, 22-24.
[2]	X. Chang, T. Wang, J. Gong, Energy Environ. Sci., 2016, 9, 2177-2196.
[3]	S. Berardi, S. Drouet, L. Francàs, C. Gimbert-Suriñach, M. Guttentag, C. Richmond, T. Stoll, A. Llobet, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2014, 43, 7501-7519.
[4]	J. Ding, Z. Teng, X. Su, K. Kato, Y. Liu, T. Xiao, W. Liu, L. Liu, Q. Zhang, X. Ren, J. Zhang, Z. Chen, O. Teruhisa, A. Yamakata, H. Yang, Y. Huang, B. Liu, Y. Zhai, Chem, 2023, 9, 1017-1035.
[5]	C. Gao J,. Low R,. Long T,. Kong J,. Zhu Y. Xiong, Chem. Rev., 2020, 120, 12175-12216.
[6]	Y.-J. Wang, G.-L. Zhuang, J.-W. Zhang, F. Luo, X. Cheng, F.-L. Sun, S.-S. Fu, T.-B. Lu, Z.-M. Zhang, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202216592.
[7]	B. Singh, M. B. Gawande, A. D. Kute, R. S. Varma, P. Fornasiero, P. McNeice, R. V. Jagadeesh, M. Beller, R. Zbořil, Chem. Rev., 2021, 121, 13620-13697.
[8]	X.-F. Yang, A. Wang, B. Qiao, J. Li, J. Liu, T. Zhang, Acc. Chem. Res., 2013, 46, 1740-1748.
[9]	Q. Qu Y,. Mao S,. Ji J,. Liao J,. Dong L,. Wang Q,. Wang X,. Liang Z,. Zhang J,. Yang H,. Li Y,. Zhou Z,. Wang G. I. N., Waterhouse D,. Wang Y. Li, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2025, 147, 6914-6924.
[10]	G. Gao Y,. Jiao E. R., Waclawik A. Du, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 6292-6297.
[11]	A. Wang, J. Li, T. Zhang, Nat. Rev. Chem., 2018, 2, 65-81.
[12]	B. Qiao, A. Wang, X. Yang, L. F. Allard, Z. Jiang, Y. Cui, J. Liu, J. Li, T. Zhang, Nat. Chem., 2011, 3, 634-641.
[13]	N. Song, J. Jiang, S. Hong, Y. Wang, C. Li, H. Dong, Chin. J. Catal., 2024, 59, 38-81.
[14]	Z. Chen, S. Mitchell, E. Vorobyeva, R. K. Leary, R. Hauert, T. Furnival, Q. M. Ramasse, J. M. Thomas, P. A. Midgley, D. Dontsova, M. Antonietti, S. Pogodin, N. López, J. Pérez-Ramírez, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2017, 27, 1605785.
[15]	D.-C. Zhong, Y.-C. Wang, M. Wang, T.-B. Lu, Acc. Chem. Res., 2025, 58, 1379-1391.
[16]	R. Lang, X. Du, Y. Huang, X. Jiang, Q. Zhang, Y. Guo, K. Liu, B. Qiao, A. Wang, T. Zhang, Chem. Rev., 2020, 120, 11986-12043.
[17]	X. Fang, Q. Shang, Y. Wang, L. Jiao, T. Yao, Y. Li, Q. Zhang, Y. Luo, H.-L. Jiang, Adv. Mater., 2018, 30, 1705112.
[18]	H. Wang, X. Wang, J. Pan, L. Zhang, M. Zhao, J. Xu, B. Liu, W. Shi, S. Song, H. Zhang, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2021, 60, 23154-23158.
[19]	C. B. Hiragond, N. S. Powar, J. Lee, S.-I. In, Small, 2022, 18, 2201428.
[20]	V. B. Saptal, V. Ruta M. A., Bajada G. Vilé, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202219306.
[21]	C.-F. Li, W.-G. Pan, Z.-R. Zhang, T. Wu, R.-T. Guo, Small, 2023, 19, 2300460.
[22]	Z. Shang, X. Feng, G. Chen, R. Qin, Y. Han, Small, 2023, 19, 2304975.
[23]	G. F. S. R,. Rocha M. A. R., da Silva A,. Rogolino G. A. A., Diab L. F. G., Noleto M,. Antonietti I. F. Teixeira, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2023, 52, 4878-4932.
[24]	W. Liu L,. Zhang W,. Yan X,. Liu X,. Yang S,. Miao W,. Wang A,. Wang T. Zhang, Chem. Sci., 2016, 7, 5758-5764.
[25]	X. Jin M,. Chang H,. Sun C.-W., Chang M. G., Sendeku Y,. Li M,. Wang J,. Fang Y,. Li Q,. Zhu B,. Li J,. Yu Y,. Liu Z,. Chang G,. Zhang Z,. Zhuang L,. Bai Q,. Ma Z,. Feng W,. Liu J,. Li X. Sun, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2025, 147, 2689-2698.
[26]	E. Zhao, J. Morales-Vidal, Y. Yang, S. Mitchell, Y. Zhu, Z. Hu, J.-M. Chen, S.-C. Haw, T.-S. Chan, Z. Fan, Z.-J. Wang, N. López, J. Pérez-Ramírez, Z. Chen, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2025, 147, 2029-2036.
[27]	G. Gentile, M. Marchi, M. Melchionna, P. Fornasiero, M. Prato, G. Filippini, Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2022, 2022, e202200944.
[28]	S. Abbet, A. Sanchez, U. Heiz, W.-D. Schneider, A. M. Ferrari, G. Pacchioni, N. Rösch, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2000, 122, 3453-3457.
[29]	L. Wang, C. Zhu, M. Xu, C. Zhao, J. Gu, L. Cao, X. Zhang, Z. Sun, S. Wei, W. Zhou, W.-X. Li, J. Lu, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2021, 143, 18854-18858.
[30]	J.-F. Sun, Q.-Q. Xu, J.-L. Qi, D. Zhou, H.-Y. Zhu, J.-Z. Yin, ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2020, 8, 14630-14656.
[31]	Q. Lu K,. Eid W,. Li A. M., Abdullah G,. Xu R. S. Varma, Green Chem., 2021, 23, 5394-5428.
[32]	Y. Ding, C. Wang, L. Pei, S. Maitra, Q. Mao, R. Zheng, M. Liu, Y. H. Ng, J. Zhong, L.-H. Chen, B.-L. Su, Inorg. Chem. Front., 2023, 10, 3756-3780.
[33]	S. S. Lam, V.-H. Nguyen, M. T. Nguyen Dinh, D. Q. Khieu, D. D. La, H. T. Nguyen, D. V. N. Vo, C. Xia, R. S. Varma, M. Shokouhimehr, C. C. Nguyen, Q. V. Le, W. Peng, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, 8, 10571-10603.
[34]	P. Suja, J. John, T. P. D. Rajan, G. M. Anilkumar, T. Yamaguchi, S. C. Pillai, U. S. Hareesh, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2023, 11, 8599-8646.
[35]	J.-R. Huang, H.-Y. Chen, H.-L. Zhu, P.-Q. Liao, X.-M. Chen, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2025, 147, 37167-37175.
[36]	Y. Li B,. Li D,. Zhang L,. Cheng Q. Xiang, ACS Nano, 2020, 14, 10552-10561.
[37]	M. Chen, X. Zhao, Y. Li, P. Zeng, H. Liu, H. Yu, M. Wu, Z. Li, D. Shao, C. Miao, G. Chen, H. Shu, Y. Pei, X. Wang, Chem. Eng. J., 2020, 385, 123905.
[38]	L. Zhang, X. Yang, J. Lin, X. Li, X. Liu, B. Qiao, A. Wang, T. Zhang, Acc. Chem. Res., 2025, 58, 1878-1892.
[39]	S. Cao H,. Li T,. Tong H.-C., Chen A,. Yu J,. Yu H.-M. Chen, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2018, 28, 1802169.
[40]	Z. Guo Y,. Xie J,. Xiao Z.-J., Zhao Y,. Wang Z,. Xu Y,. Zhang L,. Yin H,. Cao J. Gong, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2019, 141, 12005-12010.
[41]	Z. Wang, E. Almatrafi, H. Wang, H. Qin, W. Wang, L. Du, S. Chen, G. Zeng, P. Xu, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2022, 61, e202202338.
[42]	J. Xu Y,. Chen M,. Chen J,. Wang L. Wang, Chem. Eng. J., 2022, 442, 136208.
[43]	X. Peng, J. Wu, Z. Zhao, X. Wang, H. Dai, L. Xu, G. Xu, Y. Jian, F. Hu, Chem. Eng. J., 2022, 427, 130803.
[44]	Z. Li, H. He, H. Cao, S. Sun, W. Diao, D. Gao, P. Lu, S. Zhang, Z. Guo, M. Li, R. Liu, D. Ren, C. Liu, Y. Zhang, Z. Yang, J. Jiang, G. Zhang, Appl. Catal. B, 2019, 240, 112-121.
[45]	X. Guo, J. Gu, S. Lin, S. Zhang, Z. Chen, S. Huang, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2020, 142, 5709-5721.
[46]	L. Bai, C.-S. Hsu, D. T. L. Alexander, H.-M. Chen, X. Hu, Nat. Energy, 2021, 6, 1054-1066.
[47]	Q. Hao, H.-X. Zhong, J.-Z. Wang, K.-H. Liu, J.-M. Yan, Z.-H. Ren, N. Zhou, X. Zhao, H. Zhang, D.-X. Liu, X. Liu, L.-W. Chen, J. Luo, X.-B. Zhang, Nat. Synth., 2022, 1, 719-728.
[48]	S. Tian, Q. Fu, W. Chen, Q. Feng, Z. Chen, J. Zhang, W.-C. Cheong, R. Yu, L. Gu, J. Dong, J. Luo, C. Chen, Q. Peng, C. Draxl, D. Wang, Y. Li, Nat. Commun., 2018, 9, 2353.
[49]	L. Zhang, R. Si, H. Liu, N. Chen, Q. Wang, K. Adair, Z. Wang, J. Chen, Z. Song, J. Li, M. N. Banis, R. Li, T.-K. Sham, M. Gu, L.-M. Liu, G. A. Botton, X. Sun, Nat. Commun., 2019, 10, 4936.
[50]	W. Ye, S. Chen, Y. Lin, L. Yang, S. Chen, X. Zheng, Z. Qi, C. Wang, R. Long, M. Chen, J. Zhu, P. Gao, L. Song, J. Jiang, Y. Xiong, Chem, 2019, 5, 2865-2878.
[51]	S. Hu, P. Qiao, X. Yi, Y. Lei, H. Hu, J. Ye, D. Wang, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202304585.
[52]	Y. Zhang, M. Zhai, J. Liu, J. Xu, H. Lin, J. Xing, L. Wang, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2025, 35, 2413232.
[53]	X. Xu, B. Su, S. Wang, W. Xing, S.-F. Hung, Z. Pan, Y. Fang, G. Zhang, H. Zhang, X. Wang, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2025, 64, e202512386.
[54]	Q. Wang, C. Liu, D. Zhou, X. Chen, M. Zhang, K. Lin, Chem. Eng. J., 2022, 439, 135002.
[55]	J. Li, S. Zhao, S.-Z. Yang, S. Wang, H. Sun, S.-P. Jiang, B. Johannessen, S. Liu, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2021, 9, 3029-3035.
[56]	L. Cao, Q. Luo, W. Liu, Y. Lin, X. Liu, Y. Cao, W. Zhang, Y. Wu, J. Yang, T. Yao, S. Wei, Nat. Catal., 2019, 2, 134-141.
[57]	Z. Zhou, M. Li, C. Kuai, Y. Zhang, V. F. Smith, F. Lin, A. Aiello, D. P. Durkin, H. Chen, D. Shuai, J. Hazard. Mater., 2021, 418, 126294.
[58]	C. Zhu, Y. Nie, F. Cun, Y. Wang, Z. Tian, F. Liu, Appl. Catal. B, 2022, 319, 121900.
[59]	G. Wang, R. Huang, J. Zhang, J. Mao, D. Wang, Y. Li, Adv. Mater., 2021, 33, 2105904.
[60]	W. Shen, Q. Qi, B. Hu, Z. Zhu, P. Huo, J. Jiang, X. Tang, J. Ind. Eng. Chem., 2025, 145, 384-394.
[61]	B. Hu, Z. Li, B. Wang, L. Chen, X. Wang, X. Hu, Z. Bai, Y. Li, G. Chen, X. Luo, S.-F. Yin, Appl. Catal. B, 2025, 371, 125196.
[62]	Q. Wang, K. Liu, K. Hu, C. Cai, H. Li, H. Li, M. Herran, Y.-R. Lu, T.-S. Chan, C. Ma, J. Fu, S. Zhang, Y. Liang, E. Cortés, M. Liu, Nat. Commun., 2022, 13, 6082.
[63]	X. Chang, S. Xu, D. Wang, Z. Zhang, Y. Guo, S. Kang, Mater. Today Adv., 2022, 15, 100274.
[64]	X. Hai, S. Xi, S. Mitchell, K. Harrath, H. Xu, D. F. Akl, D. Kong, J. Li, Z. Li, T. Sun, H. Yang, Y. Cui, C. Su, X. Zhao, J. Li, J. Pérez-Ramírez, J. Lu, Nat. Nanotechnol., 2022, 17, 174-181.
[65]	S. Huang, B. Hu, S. Zhao, S. Zhang, M. Wang, Q. Jia, L. He, Z. Zhang, M. Du, Chem. Eng. J., 2022, 430, 132933.
[66]	F. Chen, X.-L. Wu, L. Yang, C. Chen, H. Lin, J. Chen, Chem. Eng. J., 2020, 394, 124904.
[67]	C. Cometto, A. Ugolotti, E. Grazietti, A. Moretto, G. Bottaro, L. Armelao, C. Di Valentin, L. Calvillo, G. Granozzi, NPJ 2D Mater. Appl., 2021, 5, 63.
[68]	J. Xu, X. Zheng, Z. Feng, Z. Lu, Z. Zhang, W. Huang, Y. Li, D. Vuckovic, Y. Li, S. Dai, G. Chen, K. Wang, H. Wang, J. K. Chen, W. Mitch, Y. Cui, Nat. Sustain., 2021, 4, 233-241.
[69]	Y. Liu, L. Xu, N. Zhang, J. Wang, X. Mu, Y. Wang, Mater. Today Chem., 2022, 26, 101250.
[70]	T. Yang, X. Mao, Y. Zhang, X. Wu, L. Wang, M. Chu, C.-W. Pao, S. Yang, Y. Xu, X. Huang, Nat. Commun., 2021, 12, 6022.
[71]	W. Wu, Z. Ruan, J. Li, Y. Li, Y. Jiang, X. Xu, D. Li, Y. Yuan, K. Lin, Nano-Micro Lett., 2019, 11, 10.
[72]	Y. Zhou, M. Yu, Q. Zhang, X. Sun, J. Niu, J. Hazard. Mater., 2022, 440, 129724.
[73]	J. Wang, Y. Song, C. Zuo, R. Li, Y. Zhou, Y. Zhang, B. Wu, J. Colloid Interface Sci., 2022, 625, 722-733.
[74]	M. Yu, C. Liu, X. Sun, J. Lu, J. Niu, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2022, 14, 5376-5383.
[75]	Q.-P. Zhao, W.-X. Shi, J. Zhang, Z.-Y. Tian, Z.-M. Zhang, P. Zhang, Y. Wang, S.-Z. Qiao, T.-B. Lu, Nat. Synth, 2024, 3, 497-506.
[76]	A. Zhu, Y. Cao, N. Zhao, Y. Jin, Y. Li, L. Yang, C. Zhang, Y. Gao, Z. Zhang, Y. Zhang, W. Xie, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 33002-33011.
[77]	Y. Liu, Z. Hu, F. Wu, L. Li, R. Chen, Adv. Mater., 2025, 37, 2506839.
[78]	G. Yan, B. Xu, R. Zhang, W. Teng, T. Zhou, H. Li, W. Hua, B. Lin, G. Yang, Appl. Catal. B, 2025, 378, 125535.
[79]	Y. Wang, J. Zhang, W.-X. Shi, G.-L. Zhuang, Q.-P. Zhao, J. Ren, P. Zhang, H.-Q. Yin, T.-B. Lu, Z.-M. Zhang, Adv. Mater., 2022, 34, 2204448.
[80]	X. Shi Y,. Huang Y,. Bo D,. Duan Z,. Wang J,. Cao G,. Zhu W,. Ho L,. Wang T,. Huang Y. Xiong, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2022, 61, e202203063.
[81]	R. Zhang, P. Li, F. Wang, L. Ye, A. Gaur, Z. Huang, Z. Zhao, Y. Bai, Y. Zhou, Appl. Catal. B, 2019, 250, 273-279.
[82]	P. Sharma, S. Kumar, O. Tomanec, M. Petr, J. Zhu Chen, J. T. Miller, R. S. Varma, M. B. Gawande, R. Zbořil, Small, 2021, 17, 2006478.
[83]	Y. Yang, F. Li, J. Chen, J. Fan, Q. Xiang, ChemSusChem, 2020, 13, 1979-1985.
[84]	J. Wang, T. Heil, B. Zhu, C.-W. Tung, J. Yu, H.-M. Chen, M. Antonietti, S. Cao, ACS Nano, 2020, 14, 8584-8593.
[85]	S. Roy Z,. Li Z,. Chen A. C., Mata P,. Kumar S. C., Sarma I. F., Teixeira I. F., Silva G,. Gao N. V., Tarakina M. G., Kibria C. V., Singh J,. Wu P. M. Ajayan, Adv. Mater., 2024, 36, 2300713.
[86]	S. Yi Z,. Wang Z,. Wu X,. Yang H,. Wang J,. Yang X,. She H. Xu, Appl. Surf. Sci., 2025, 681, 161492.
[87]	W.-T. Chen, H. W. Shiu, Y.-X. Chen, E. Batsaikhan, Y.-L. Lai, S.-L. Cheng, T. Araki, J.-F. Lee, M. Hayashi, Y.-J. Hsu, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2025, e14183.
[88]	S. Li Y,. Xu H,. Wang B,. Teng Q,. Liu Q,. Li L,. Xu X,. Liu J. Lu, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed, 2023, 62, e202218167.
[89]	C. Wang, K. Wang, Y. Feng, C. Li, X. Zhou, L. Gan, Y. Feng, H. Zhou, B. Zhang, X. Qu, H. Li, J. Li, A. Li, Y. Sun, S. Zhang, G. Yang, Y. Guo, S. Yang, T. Zhou, F. Dong, K. Zheng, L. Wang, J. Huang, Z. Zhang, X. Han, Adv. Mater., 2021, 33, 2003327.
[90]	W. Ren X,. Tan W,. Yang C,. Jia S,. Xu K,. Wang S. C., Smith C. Zhao, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2019, 58, 6972-6976.
[91]	L. Zeng, J.-W. Chen, L. Zhong, W. Zhen, Y. Y. Tay, S. Li, Y.-G. Wang, L. Huang, C. Xue, Appl. Catal. B, 2022, 307, 121154.
[92]	P. Liu Z,. Huang X,. Gao X,. Hong J,. Zhu G,. Wang Y,. Wu J,. Zeng X. Zheng, Adv. Mater., 2022, 34, 2200057.
[93]	L. Cheng, P. Zhang, Q. Wen, J. Fan, Q. Xiang, Chin. J. Catal., 2022, 43, 451-460.
[94]	L. Cheng, X. Yue, L. Wang, D. Zhang, P. Zhang, J. Fan, Q. Xiang, Adv. Mater., 2021, 33, 2105135.
[95]	G. Zhao, W. Li, H. Zhang, W. Wang, Y. Ren, Chem. Eng. J., 2022, 430, 132937.
[96]	M. Ahmad, X. Quan, H. Bai, Y. Liu, S. Chen, H. Yu, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2025, 64, e202512234.
[97]	X. Xiao, Y. Gao, L. Zhang, J. Zhang, Q. Zhang, Q. Li, H. Bao, J. Zhou, S. Miao, N. Chen, J. Wang, B. Jiang, C. Tian, H. Fu, Adv. Mater., 2020, 32, 2003082.
[98]	J. Büker, X. Huang, J. Bitzer, W. Kleist, M. Muhler, B. Peng, ACS Catal., 2021, 11, 7863-7875.
[99]	J. Ma F,. Zhang Y,. Tan S,. Wang H,. Chen L,. Zheng H,. Liu R. Li, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2022, 14, 18383-18392.
[100]	G. Wang, Y. Liu, X. Zhang, X. Zong, X. Zhang, K. Zheng, D. Qu, L. An, X. Qi, Z. Sun, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 8668-8676.

Anchoring single/dual metal centers on carbon nitride: Sustainable routes for greenhouse gas conversion and organic photosynthesis

RichHTML

PDF (PC)

Knowledge

Abstract

Cite this article

share this article

share this article

Figures/Tables 19

References

Related Articles 15

Recommended Articles

Metrics

[1]	Xingchen He, Junhui Shao, Najun Li, Dongyun Chen, Hua Li, Qingfeng Xu, Haozhi Wang, Jianmei Lu. Metal-free fluorinated carbon nitride with piezo-boosted hydrogen-bonding networks enable 100% CO selectivity in CO₂ reduction [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2026, 85(6): 130-142.
[2]	Rongxing Chen, Yongkang Quan, Weilong Cai, Yun Hau Ng, Jianying Huang, Yuekun Lai. Synergistic band and electronic engineering in cyano-oxygen co-functionalized carbon nitride for efficient photocatalytic H₂O₂ synthesis [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2026, 84(5): 250-260.
[3]	Yanglin Chen, Ruiming Fang, Huibo Zhao, Minjun Feng, Weidong Hou, Tze Chien Sum, Wen Liu, Liang Wang, Lydia Helena Wong, Can Xue. Bipolar photocatalysis for CO generation via biopolyol oxidation and CO₂ reduction over brown polymeric carbon nitride nanowires [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2026, 84(5): 214-225.
[4]	Junqing Li, Kelin He, Ying Tao, Chao Chen, Linfu Xie, Yunfei Ma, Junpeng Wang, Changwen Xu, Yang Li, Qitao Zhang. Promoting exciton dissociation in crystalline carbon nitride via cation-anion synergy for hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2026, 82(3): 174-186.
[5]	Na Tian, Chaofan Yuan, Tong Zhou, Wenying Yu, Yinghui Wang, Na Zhang, Yihe Zhang, Hongwei Huang. Defect-coordinated Au nanoparticles in carbon nitride for efficient piezo-photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2026, 81(2): 272-283.
[6]	Bo Feng, Danning Feng, Yan Pei, Baoning Zong, Minghua Qiao, Wei Li. Cu single atoms on defective carbon nitride for photocatalytic oxidation of methane to methanol with selectivity over 92% [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2025, 76(9): 96-107.
[7]	Shinuo Liang, Fengjun Li, Fei Huang, Xinyu Wang, Shengwei Liu. Modulating electronic structure of g-C₃N₄ hosted Co-N₄ active sites by axial phosphorus coordination for efficient overall H₂O₂ photosynthesis from oxygen and water [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2025, 76(9): 81-95.
[8]	Eryu Wang, Yi-Chun Chu, Wenjun Zhang, Yanping Wei, Chuanling Si, Regina Palkovits, Xin-Ping Wu, Zupeng Chen. Sustainable co-production of H₂ and lactic acid from lignocellulose photoreforming using Pt-C₃N₄ single-atom catalyst [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2025, 74(7): 308-318.
[9]	Aiyun Meng, Xinyuan Ma, Da Wen, Wei Zhong, Shuang Zhou, Yaorong Su. Towards highly-selective H₂O₂ photosynthesis: In-plane highly ordered carbon nitride nanorods with Ba atoms implantation [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2024, 60(5): 231-241.
[10]	Zhihan Yu, Dainan Zhang, Chenbing Ai, Jianjun Zhang, Quanjun Xiang. Dynamic proton migration in dual linkage-engineered D-π-A system for photosynthesis H₂O₂ generation [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2024, 67(12): 71-81.
[11]	Sue-Faye Ng, Xingzhu Chen, Joel Jie Foo, Mo Xiong, Wee-Jun Ong. 2D carbon nitrides: Regulating non-metal boron-doped C₃N₅ for elucidating the mechanism of wide pH range photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2023, 47(4): 150-160.
[12]	Chengcheng Chen, Fangting Liu, Qiaoyu Zhang, Zhengguo Zhang, Qiong Liu, Xiaoming Fang. Theoretical design and experimental study of pyridine-incorporated polymeric carbon nitride with an optimal structure for boosting photocatalytic CO₂ reduction [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2023, 46(3): 91-102.
[13]	Han Li, Shanren Tao, Sijie Wan, Guogen Qiu, Qing Long, Jiaguo Yu, Shaowen Cao. S-scheme heterojunction of ZnCdS nanospheres and dibenzothiophene modified graphite carbon nitride for enhanced H₂ production [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2023, 46(3): 167-176.
[14]	Chaochen Shao, Qing He, Mochun Zhang, Lin Jia, Yujin Ji, Yongpan Hu, Youyong Li, Wei Huang, Yanguang Li. A covalent organic framework inspired by C₃N₄ for photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide with high quantum efficiency [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2023, 46(3): 28-35.
[15]	Ruiyu Zhong, Yujie Liang, Fei Huang, Shinuo Liang, Shengwei Liu. Regulating interfacial coupling of 1D crystalline g-C₃N₄ nanorods with 2D Ti₃C₂T_x MXene for boosting photocatalytic CO₂ reduction [J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2023, 53(10): 109-122.