Photocatalysis has exhibited huge potential in many reactions, but the design of metal-free photocatalytic material for selective upgrading of biomass is rarely achieved. Here, we report that the metal-free photocatalyst consisted of nitrogen-deficient carbon nitride (BNCN) and chlorin e6 (Ce6) can efficiently and selectively oxidize glucose into gluconic acid and glucaric acid. Introducing nitrogen defects could significantly enhance the optical absorption and modulate the band structure. In addition, the combination of Ce6 with BNCN further improve the optical absorption property and promote effective separation of photon-generated carriers. As expected, the resultant Ce6@BNCN catalyst gave a total selectivity of gluconic acid, glucaric acid and arabinose as high as 70.9% at glucose conversion up to 62.3%, as is superior to previously reported photocatalytic systems. The mechanism for the enhancement of catalytic performance and the reaction pathway were revealed by experimental studies combined with DFT calculations.

光催化在许多反应中都表现出巨大的潜力，但用于生物质选择性升级的无金属光催化材料的设计却很少实现。在这里，我们报告了由缺氮氮化碳 (BNCN) 和二氢卟酚 e6 (Ce6) 组成的无金属光催化剂可以有效且选择性地将葡萄糖氧化成葡萄糖酸和葡萄糖二酸。引入氮缺陷可以显着增强光吸收并调节能带结构。此外，Ce6与BNCN的结合进一步提高了光吸收性能，促进了光生载流子的有效分离。正如预期的那样，所得的 Ce6@BNCN 催化剂对葡萄糖酸、葡萄糖二酸和阿拉伯糖的总选择性高达 70.9%，葡萄糖转化率高达 62.3%，优于先前报道的光催化系统。通过实验研究结合DFT计算揭示了催化性能增强的机制和反应途径。