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The present work reports a facile strategy to develop L-arginine mediated Zn doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and its enhanced photocatalytic activity. The physicochemical properties of Zn-doped g-C3N4 were studied extensively by XPS, UV–Vis, XRD, SEM and BET analysis. The studied properties of the photocatalyst were then correlated with its photocatalytic hydrogen production rates. Zn doping was evidenced by the presence of Zn-N peak from high-resolution core level XPS spectral analysis. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution experiments revealed that, upon Zn doping, the hydrogen production rate of g-C3N4 was increased from 34.6 to 78.7 µmol/g.h, i.e. 2.3 times more. The enhancement in the photocatalytic properties after Zn doping was addressed by estimating changes in the positions of conduction band minimum and valence band maximum through XPS valence band spectral analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]