Work

Reported synthetic conditions of carbon nitride (CNx) do not directly correlate with photocatalytic activities

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Correlating individual synthetic and measured parameters of carbon nitride (CN x ) with its photoactivity to unravel its structure-activity relationship remains elusive. We utilize the design of experiments approach, based on the Latin hypercube sampling method, as a technique to obtain a tractable number of CN x samples prepared under a broad range of synthetic conditions (5 parameters, 2 - 4 levels each). This approach led to twenty-four different synthetic conditions that each yield a different CN x material. The set of CN x s were evaluated by benchtop techniques including the photocatalytic H 2 production activity, FTIR, UV-vis diffuse reflectance, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and transient absorption spectroscopy. The link between synthetic parameters, spectroscopic features, and activity of the CN x materials were explored by Pearson correlations, machine learning models, and Principal Component Analysis. The three different multivariate analyses all identify that opto-electronic properties measured post-synthetically have stronger correlations with the photocatalytic activity compared to the synthetic conditions.

Source: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.155418

Authors: Peter Osei Ohemeng, Qingshi Tu, Nicole A. Solano, Robert Godin

Institutions: University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,730

Funders: Canada Foundation for Innovation, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada