Construction of π-conjugated crystalline carbon dots with carbon nitride nanofragments for efficient photocatalytic H evolution.

Crystalline carbon dots (CCDs) embedded in carbon nitride (CN) nanofragments (CCDs-CN) have been developed through facile molten salt treatment. Molten salt treatment not only reconstructs CN layered sheets to form nanofragments, but also promotes the crystallization of CDs-CN. The π-conjugated electric field between CCDs and CN accelerates charge carrier separation for efficient photocatalytic H evolution.