Uniform graphitic carbon nitride nanorod for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and sustained photoenzymatic catalysis.

Uniform graphitic carbon nitride nanorods (CNR) were facilely obtained by a morphology-preserving strategy by templating a chiral mesostructured silica nanorod. The hexagonal mesostructured pore structures of one-dimensional silica nanorods can provide nanoconfinement space for carbon nitride condensation to perfect layered structures. CNR demonstrated excellent photocatalytic capability in generating hydrogen from water even with a small specific surface area, compared with its mesoporous counterpart. For further application demonstration, the CNR was used for photocatalytic regeneration of NAD(+) to NADH, the biological form of hydrogen. The in situ NADH regeneration system was further coupled with l-glutamate dehydrogenase for sustainable generation of l-glutamate from α-ketoglutarate. The high yield and high efficiency obtained here point a high-throughput and sustainable way for practical enzymatic applications.