Polyoxometalate-Induced Interfacial Charge Transfer in g-C 3 N 4 toward Visible-Light Photocatalysis

Photocatalytic processes are fundamentally governed by interfacial charge separation and transfer dynamics. Herein, we investigate the role of polyoxometalate (POM) (H 3 PMo 12 O 40 · x H 2 O, PMo 12 ) as an interfacial electron acceptor when coupled with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ). By integration of PMo 12 with g-C 3 N 4 in controlled ratios, a series of PMo 12 @g-C 3 N 4 composites were constructed to elucidate interfacial electronic interactions and charge-transfer behavior. As a consequence of the enhanced interfacial charge dynamics, the optimized composite containing 5 wt % PMo 12 exhibits a visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution rate of 3.38 mmol g –1 h –1, corresponding to a 2.56-fold enhancement compared to that of pristine g-C 3 N 4 . This study highlights a POM-driven interfacial charge separation strategy and provides mechanistic insights into the design of semiconductor–cluster hybrid photocatalysts.