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Graphite carbon nitride (g‐C3N4), as a non‐metallic photocatalyst, possesses special band structure, excellent stability and unique surface properties, which has become a focus of attention for photocatalytic application. However, pure g‐C3N4 is subject to the limit of visible light response, small specific surface area and rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers, which leads to its low photocatalytic efficiency. Due to the unique electronic structure, various quantum dots (QDs) can be applied to modify g‐C3N4 to improve the photocatalytic activity. Thus, we highlight these QDs modified g‐C3N4‐based composites by emphasizing their synthesis, their physicochemical properties as well as their photocatalytic applications in CO2 reduction, hydrogen production and pollutants degradation in this review. At last, critical summaries and some perspectives on the challenges and directions in this research field are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and enhancing the charge carrier transfer are critical in photocatalysis. In our work, a ball-flower-like NiS/Zn3In2S6/g-C3N4 photocatalyst fabricated by a hydrothermal method exhibited superior performance for photocatalytic water splitting. The optimized 2.0% NiS/Zn3In2S6/g-C3N4 rivaled noble metal based Pt/g-C3N4 and showed an apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 24.3% at 420 nm, with a H2 yield of 4.135 mmol g−1 h−1, which was 30.4 and 9.51 times that of pure g-C3N4 and binary Zn3In2S6/g-C3N4 composites, respectively. The experimental and characterization results suggested that the heterojunction formed between Zn3In2S6/g-C3N4 and the decorating NiS co-catalyst cooperatively suppressed the electron–hole recombination and facilitated the charge carrier transfer, thus resulting in significant improvement of the H2 evolution performance. Moreover, the increased specific surface area and the enhanced visible-light absorption also contributed to superior water splitting performance. The prepared ternary catalytic system with the heterojunction and non-noble metal co-catalyst has great potential as an alternative to noble metals for achieving cost-efficient water splitting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution can effectively alleviate the troublesome global energy crisis by converting solar energy into the chemical energy of hydrogen. In order to realize efficient hydrogen generation, a variety of semiconductor materials have been extensively investigated, including TiO2, CdS, g‐C3N4, metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs), and others. In recent years, to achieve higher photocatalytic performance and reach the level of large‐scale industrial applications, photocatalysts decorated with transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have shone brightly because of their low cost, stable physical and chemical properties, and substitution for precious metals of TMPs. This Review highlights the preparation methods and properties associated with photocatalysis of TMPs. Moreover, the H2 generation efficiency of photocatalysts loaded with TMPs and the roles of TMPs in catalytic systems are also studied systematically. Apart from being co‐catalysts, several TMPs can also serve as host catalysts to boost the activity of photocatalytic composites. Finally, the development prospects and challenges of TMPs are put forward, which is valuable for future researchers to expand the application of TMPs in photocatalytic directions and to develop more active photocatalytic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and enhancing the charge carrier transfer are critical in photocatalysis. In our work, a ball-flower-like NiS/Zn 3 In 2 S 6 /g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst fabricated by a hydrothermal method exhibited superior performance for photocatalytic water splitting. The optimized 2.0% NiS/Zn 3 In 2 S 6 /g-C 3 N 4 rivaled noble metal based Pt/g-C 3 N 4 and showed an apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 24.3% at 420 nm, with a H 2 yield of 4.135 mmol g -1 h -1 , which was 30.4 and 9.51 times that of pure g-C 3 N 4 and binary Zn 3 In 2 S 6 /g-C 3 N 4 composites, respectively. The experimental and characterization results suggested that the heterojunction formed between Zn 3 In 2 S 6 /g-C 3 N 4 and the decorating NiS co-catalyst cooperatively suppressed the electron-hole recombination and facilitated the charge carrier transfer, thus resulting in significant improvement of the H 2 evolution performance. Moreover, the increased specific surface area and the enhanced visible-light absorption also contributed to superior water splitting performance. The prepared ternary catalytic system with the heterojunction and non-noble metal co-catalyst has great potential as an alternative to noble metals for achieving cost-efficient water splitting systems.