CHAPTER 8: Emerging Applications for Graphitic Carbon Nitride-based Materials: CO₂ Reduction as a Case Study

Capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere and using it for the high-output synthesis of chemicals has great potential for various industrial applications. CO₂ emission has increased by 45% since the industrial revolution in the 18th century, which has had a negative impact on the climate through the greenhouse effect. Therefore, there has been great interest in CO₂ photocatalysis and photocatalysts in the last few decades. Several photocatalytic systems have been investigated for the reduction of CO₂, among these, graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) is emerging as a highly promising semiconductor for the photocatalytic removal of CO₂ due to its high chemical stability and unique band structure. This chapter summarizes the synthesis and basic properties of gCN-based photocatalysts and their applications and limitations in CO₂ photocatalysis.