Photocatalysis driven by abundant yet intermittent solar energy has considerable potential in renewable energy generation and environmental remediation. The outstanding electronic structure and physicochemical properties of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), together with unique metal-free characteristic, make them ideal candidates for advanced photocatalysts construction. This review summarizes the up-to-date advances on g-C₃N₄ based photocatalysts from ingenious-design strategies and diversified photocatalytic applications. Notably, the advantages, fabrication methods and limitations of each design strategy are systemically analyzed. In order to deeply comprehend the inner connection of theory–structure–performance upon g-C₃N₄ based photocatalysts, structure/composition designs, corresponding photocatalytic activities and reaction mechanisms are jointly discussed, associated with introducing their photocatalytic applications toward water splitting, carbon dioxide/nitrogen reduction and pollutants degradation, etc. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives for g-C₃N₄ based materials for photocatalysis are briefly proposed. These design strategies and limitations are also instructive for constructing g-C₃N₄ based materials in other energy and environment-related applications.

由丰富但间歇性的太阳能驱动的光催化在可再生能源发电和环境修复方面具有巨大的潜力。石墨氮化碳（gC ₃ N ₄）出色的电子结构和物理化学性质，加上独特的无金属特性，使其成为先进光催化剂结构的理想选择。_{本文综述了gC 3} N ₄基光催化剂的最新进展，包括巧妙的设计策略和多样化的光催化应用。值得注意的是，系统分析了每种设计策略的优点、制造方法和局限性。为了深入理解gC ₃ N ₄基光催化剂理论-结构-性能的内在联系，共同讨论了gC 3 N 4 基光催化剂的结构/组成设计、相应的光催化活性和反应机理，并介绍了它们在水分解、二氧化碳/二氧化碳等方面的光催化应用。最后，简要提出了gC ₃ N ₄基光催化材料目前面临的挑战和未来前景。这些设计策略和限制对于在其他能源和环境相关应用中构建gC ₃ N _{4基材料也具有指导意义。}