Carbon nitrides as efficient piezocatalysts for hydrogen and hydrogen peroxide production

Ying Pan^a, Luocheng Liao^b, Dan Qiao^a, Irene Lamata Bermejo^a, Yunya Liu^b, Ran Su^c, Nieves Lopez^a

^aDepartment of Chemistry, University of Paderborn, Paderborn 33098, Germany

^bKey Laboratory of Low Dimensional Materials and Application Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China

^cHebei Key Laboratory of Photoelectric Control on Surface and Interface, College of Science, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China

Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2026 Conference (MATSUSSpring26)

E4 Photo-assisted chemical reactions: materials, characterization and mechanisms

Barcelona, Spain, 2026 March 23rd - 27th

Organizers: Josep Albero Sancho and Diego Mateo Mateo

Poster, Ying Pan, 831
Publication date: 15th December 2025

Piezocatalysis presents a sustainable and energy-efficient method for producing hydrogen (H₂) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), utilizing mechanical energy to drive chemical reactions without the need for external power sources or harmful chemicals. In this study, we used a cost-effective method to modify graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) to enhance its piezoelectric properties for H₂ and H₂O₂ production from water without any co-catalysts or sacrificial agents. In this molten salt approach, a metal oxide/g-C₃N₄ composite structure was constructed in one step. During thermal pyrolysis, SnCl₂ provided a molten medium to facilitate the exfoliation of the g-C₃N₄ layer. The oxidation of SnCl₂ and its interaction with g-C₃N₄ promoted the formation of g-C₃N₄/Sn-based composites. The synergistic interaction between exfoliated, defect-rich g-C₃N₄ and non-piezoelectrically active Sn species leads to a significant enhancement of the piezoelectric effect compared to pristine g-C₃N₄. Notably, the g-C₃N₄/Sn-based composites achieved superior H₂ (3846.46 μmol g^-1 h^-1) and H₂O₂ (999.11 μmol g^-1 h^-1) production rates from pure water. This work provides new insights into the structural and compositional modulation of g-C₃N₄ and paves the way for further piezocatalytic research using two-dimensional carbon nitride materials.

Acknowledgements:

Ying Pan acknowledges the financial support from the Postdoctoral Fellowship of the University of Paderborn. Nieves Lopez Salas acknowledges funding from DAAD Afriger project (577030859) and Fonds der Chemischen Industrie. Yunya Liu acknowledges funding from the Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province (2024RC3161). Ran Su acknowledges funding from the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (E2019208243). The authors greatly acknowledge Alexandra Glas for carrying out the XPS measurement on sample M-0.5Sn.

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