Metal-Free Flexible Protonated g-C₃N₄/Carbon Dots Photoanode for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

A metal-free flexible protonated g-C₃N₄/carbon dots (pCN/C dots) photoanode has been fabricated on polyethylene terephtalate (PET) /indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate by a facile room temperature electrophoretic approach. The pCN/C dots photoanode gives an increased anodic photocurrent of 38 μA/cm² at 1 V vs. RHE under illumination with simulated one sun conditions, which is about 3 times higher than that of the pristine pCN. The improved photoresponse of the pCN/C dots film was found as a result from enhanced light absorption and decreased charge transfer resistance with the incorporation of C dots. The successful deposition of pCN/C dots on flexible conductive PET substrate holds promising application in multiple electronic and photoelectronic devices.