Sulfur doping effects on the electronic and geometric structures of graphitic carbon nitride photocatalyst: insights from first principles

Abstract

We present here results of our first-principles studies of the sulfur doping effects on the electronic and geometric structures of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). Using the ab initio thermodynamics approach combined with some kinetic analysis, we reveal the favorable S-doping configurations. By analyzing the valence charge densities of the doped and undoped systems, we find that sulfur partially donates its px- and py- electrons to the system with some back donation to the S pz-states. To obtain an accurate description of the excited electronic states, we calculate the electronic structure of the systems using the GW method. The band gap width calculated for g-C3N4 is found to be equal to 2.7 eV, which is in agreement with experiment. We find the S doping causes a significant narrowing of the gap. Furthermore, the electronic states just above the gap become occupied upon doping, making the material a conductor. Analysis of the projected local density of states provides an insight into the mechanism underlying such changes in the electronic structure of g-C3N4 upon S doping. Based on our results, we propose a possible explanation for the S-doping effect on the photocatalytic properties of g-C3N4 observed in experiments.