Abstract
Carbon nitride (CN(x) ) is a light-absorber with excellent performance in photocatalytic suspension systems, but the activity of CN(x) photoelectrodes has remained low. Here, cyanamide-functionalized CN(x) ((NCN) CN(x) ) was co-deposited with ITO nanoparticles on a 1.8 Å thick alumina-coated FTO electrode. Transient absorption spectroscopy and impedance measurements support that ITO acts as a conductive binder and improves electron extraction from the (NCN) CN(x) , whilst the alumina underlayer reduces recombination losses between the ITO and the FTO glass. The Al(2) O(3) |ITO : (NCN) CN(x) film displays a benchmark performance for CN(x) -based photoanodes with an onset of -0.4 V vs a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), and 1.4±0.2 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 V vs RHE during AM1.5G irradiation for the selective oxidation of 4-methylbenzyl alcohol. This assembly strategy will improve the exploration of CN(x) in fundamental and applied photoelectrochemical (PEC) studies.