Photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B and Removal of Pb2+ over an all-day-active carbon nitride

Solar energy-driven semiconductor photocatalysis has broad application prospect in the environmental governance field. However, vital problems that limits its application is that the discontinuity of nature sunlight. The ability of keeping catalytic activity in the dark could tackle these problems. Herein, a simple all-day-active photocatalytic system based on carbon nitride with electron storage property was carried out, which forms highly reductive radicals with lifetime exceeding diurnal cycle under sunlight irradiation. This carbon nitride system is capable to give off its trapped electrons to perform efficient Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation and Pb2+ reduction in the dark. The all-day-active photocatalyst system can still maintain catalytic activity even when it is cloudy or closer to night. Dramatically, this carbon nitride could hold the storage electrons for days under vacuum. The system above for storing sunlight as long-lived radicals will demonstrate a new approach for environmental protection, such as the remove of low-level pollutants in cloudy days and even the underground conditions.