One-step electrochemical synthesis of ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets and their application to the detection of uric acid

A one-step electrochemical method for synthesis of ultrathin g-C₃N₄ nanosheets is reported. This method does not need dangerous reagents and largely reduces the reaction time.

Switching the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 by homogenous surface chemical modification with nitrogen residues and vacancies

A facile two-step homogenous approach is established to produce and control the nitrogen vacancies on the g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts.

A two-dimensional hybrid with molybdenum disulfide nanocrystals strongly coupled on nitrogen-enriched graphene via mild temperature pyrolysis for high performance lithium storage

A novel 2D hybrid with MoS(2) nanocrystals strongly coupled on nitrogen-enriched graphene (MoS(2)/NG(g-C(3)N(4))) is realized by mild temperature pyrolysis (550 °C) of a self-assembled precursor (MoS(3)/g-C(3)N(4)-H(+)/GO). With rich active sites, the boosted electronic conductivity and the coupled structure, MoS(2)/NG(g-C(3)N(4)) achieves superior lithium storage performance.

A Comparative Study on the Role of Precursors of Graphitic Carbon Nitrides for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Direct Red 81

The graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) materials have been synthesized from nitrogen rich precursors such as urea and thiourea by directly heating at 520 °C for 2 h. The as-synthesized carbon nitride samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and particle size analysis. The photoelectrochemical measurements were performed using several on-off cycles under visible-light irradiation. The x-ray diffraction peak is broader which indicates the fine powder nature of the synthesized materials. The estimated crystallite size of carbon nitrides synthesized from urea (U-CN) and thiourea (T-CN) are 4.0 and 4.4 nm respectively. The particle size of U-CN and T-CN were analysed by particle size analyser and were found to be 57.3 and 273.3 nm respectively. The photocatalytic activity for the degradation of the textile dye namely, direct red-81 (DR81) using these carbon nitrides were carried out under visible light irradiation. In the present investigation, a comparison study on the carbon nitrides synthesized from cheap precursors such as urea and thiourea for the degradation of DR81 has been carried out. The results inferred that U-CN exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than T-CN. The photoelectrochemical studies confirmed that the (e--h+) charge carrier separation is more efficient in U-CN than that of T-CN and therefore showed high photocatalytic degradation. Further, the smaller particle size of U-CN is also responsible for the observed degradation trend.

Graphitic carbon nitride: synthesis, properties, and applications in catalysis

Graphitic carbon nitride, g-C3N4, is a polymeric material consisting of C, N, and some impurity H, connected via tris-triazine-based patterns. Compared with the majority of carbon materials, it has electron-rich properties, basic surface functionalities and H-bonding motifs due to the presence of N and H atoms. It is thus regarded as a potential candidate to complement carbon in material applications. In this review, a brief introduction to g-C3N4 is given, the methods used for synthesizing this material with different textural structures and surface morphologies are described, and its physicochemical properties are referred. In addition, four aspects of the applications of g-C3N4 in catalysis are discussed: (1) as a base metal-free catalyst for NO decomposition, (2) as a reference material in differentiating oxygen activation sites for oxidation reactions over supported catalysts, (3) as a functional material to synthesize nanosized metal particles, and (4) as a metal-free catalyst for photocatalysis. The reasons for the use of g-C3N4 for such applications are also given, and we expect that this paper will inspire readers to search for further new applications for this material in catalysis and in other fields.

A new metal-free carbon hybrid for enhanced photocatalysis

Carbon nitride (C3N4) is a layered, stable, and polymeric metal-free material that has been discovered as a visible-light-response photocatalyst. Owing to C3N4 having a higher conduction band position, most previous studies have been focused on its reduction capability for solar fuel production, such as hydrogen generation from water splitting or hydrocarbon production from CO2. However, photooxidation ability of g-C3N4 is weak and has been less explored, especially for decomposition of chemically stable phenolics. Carbon spheres prepared by a hydrothermal carbonization of glucose have been widely applied as a support material or template due to their interesting physicochemical properties and the functional groups on the reactive surface. This study demonstrated that growth of carbon nanospheres onto g-C3N4 (CN-CS) can significantly increase the photooxidation ability (to about 4.79 times higher than that of pristine g-C3N4) in phenol degradation under artificial sunlight irradiations. The crystal structure, optical property, morphology, surface groups, recombination rate of electron/hole pairs, and thermal stability of CN-CS were investigated by a variety of characterization techniques. This study contributes to the further promising applications of carbon nitride in metal-free catalysis.

Immobilization of polymeric g-C3N4 on structured ceramic foam for efficient visible light photocatalytic air purification with real indoor illumination

The immobilization of a photocatalyst on a proper support is pivotal for practical environmental applications. In this work, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as a rising visible light photocatalyst was first immobilized on structured Al2O3 ceramic foam by a novel in situ approach. Immobilized g-C3N4 was applied for photocatalytic removal of 600 ppb level NO in air under real indoor illumination of an energy-saving lamp. The photocatalytic activity of immobilized g-C3N4 was gradually improved as the pyrolysis temperature was increased from 450 to 600 °C. The optimized conditions for g-C3N4 immobilization on Al2O3 supports can be achieved at 600 °C for 2 h. The NO removal ratio could reach up to 77.1%, exceeding that of other types of well-known immobilized photocatalysts. Immobilized g-C3N4 was stable in activity and can be used repeatedly without deactivation. The immobilization of g-C3N4 on Al2O3 ceramic foam was found to be firm enough to overwhelm the continuous air flowing, which can be ascribed to the special chemical interaction between g-C3N4 and Al2O3. On the basis of the 5,5'-dimethyl-1-pirroline-N-oxide electron spin resonance (DMPO ESR) spin trapping and reaction intermediate monitoring, the active species produced from g-C3N4 under illumination were confirmed and the reaction mechanism of photocatalytic NO oxidation by g-C3N4 was revealed. The present work could provide new perspectives for promoting large-scale environmental applications of supported photocatalysts.

High efficiency photocatalysis for pollutant degradation with MoS2/C3N4 heterostructures

Porous graphitic carbon nitride was synthesized by controllable thermal polymerization of urea in air. Their textural, electrical, and optical properties were tuned by varying the heating rate. The presence of proper residual oxygen in carbon nitride matrix had enhanced light absorption and inhibited the recombination of charge carriers. Furthermore, the MoS2 nanosheets were coupled into the carbon nitride to form MoS2/C3N4 heterostructures via a facile ultrasonic chemical method. The optimized MoS2/C3N4 heterostructure with 0.05 wt % MoS2 showed a reaction rate constant as high as 0.301 min(-1), which was 3.6 times that of bare carbon nitride. As analyzed by SEM, TEM, UV-vis absorption, PL and photoelectrochemical measurements, intimate contact interface, extended light response range, enhanced separation speed of charge carriers, and high photocurrent density upon MoS2 coupling led to the photocatalytic promotion of the MoS2/C3N4 heterostructures. In this architecture, MoS2 served as electron trapper to extend the lifetime of separated electron-hole pairs. Meanwhile, the accumulated holes on the surface of carbon nitride oxidized the organic dye directly, which was a predominant process in the photodegradation of organic pollutants in water treatment. The promotional mechanisms and principles reported here would have great significance in heterogeneous photocatalysis.

Ionic liquid promoted synthesis of conjugated carbon nitride photocatalysts from urea

To allow for simultaneous textural engineering and doping of carbon nitride materials with heteroatoms, urea has been polymerized with an ionic liquid. The role of urea is to create a delamination effect during carbon nitride synthesis, whereas ionic liquid functions as texture modifier as well as B/F dopant source. This will result in the rational fabrication of boron- and fluorine-containing 2D carbon nitride nanosheets with enhanced optical harvesting and charge separation capabilities for hydrogen evolution catalysis using visible light. We believe that the innovative modification strategy developed herein can be coupled with the already known modification tools of 2D carbon nitride, thus further developing a new family of light-harvesting 2D platforms for the efficient and sustained utilization of solar radiation for a variety of advanced applications, including CO2 photofixation, organic photosynthesis, and pollutant controls.

Fabrication of Z-scheme plasmonic photocatalyst Ag@AgBr/g-C₃N₄ with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

A series of Ag@AgBr grafted graphitic carbon nitride (Ag@AgBr/g-C3N4) plasmonic photocatalysts are fabricated through photoreducing AgBr/g-C3N4 hybrids prepared by deposition-precipitation method. The phase and chemical structures, electronic and optical properties as well as morphologies of Ag@AgBr/g-C3N4 heterostructures are well-characterized. Subsequently, the photocatalytic activity of Ag@AgBr/g-C3N4 is evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and rhodamin B (RB) under visible-light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag@AgBr/g-C3N4 compared with g-C3N4 and Ag@AgBr is obtained and explained in terms of the efficient visible-light utilization efficiency as well as the construction of Z-scheme, which keeps photogenerated electrons and holes with high reduction and oxidation capability, evidenced by photoelectrochemical tests and free radical and hole scavenging experiments. Based on the intermediates identified in the reaction system, the photocatalytic degradation pathway of MO is put forward.

Artificial photosynthetic hydrogen evolution over g-C3N4 nanosheets coupled with cobaloxime

We report an economic and noble-metal-free artificial photosynthetic system, consisting of g-C3N4 as a photosensitizer and a photocatalyst, and cobaloxime as a co-catalyst, for H2 generation. This system allows for effective electron transfer from excited g-C3N4 to Co(III)(dmgH)2pyCl to generate reduced cobaloxime intermediate species for efficient H2 evolution. Transient fluorescence studies reveal that the presence of cobaloxime and TEOA promotes the population of excited electrons to transfer from g-C3N4, which is responsible for the high photocatalytic activity of this g-C3N4-cobaloxime conjugation system.

Sulfur-doped polyimide photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Sulfur-doped polyimide (SPI) photocatalysts were synthesized for the first time via an in situ thermal copolymerization method using sublimed sulfur (S4) as a dopant. Sulfur doping not only extended the absorption range of polyimide (PI) for visible light but also enhanced the oxidation ability of the photoinduced hole. The doped sulfur substitutes for the lattice nitrogen in triazine rings of PI to form the S-C bond and changes the distribution of negative charge in the two-dimensional plane of PI. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of SPI in the degradation of methyl orange is ascribed to the strong oxidation ability of the photoinduced hole of SPI and an effective suppression to the recombination of electrons and holes.

Ferrocene-modified carbon nitride for direct oxidation of benzene to phenol with visible light

Ferrocene moieties were heterogenized onto carbon nitride polymers by a covalent -C=N- linkage bridging the two conjugation systems, enabling the merging of the redox function of ferrocene with carbon nitride photocatalysis to construct a heterogeneous Photo-Fenton system for green organocatalysis at neutral conditions. The synergistic donor-acceptor interaction between the carbon nitride matrix and ferrocene group, improved exciton splitting, and coupled photocatalytic performance allowed the direct synthesis of phenol from benzene in the presence of H2 O2 under visible light irradiation. This innovative modification method will offer an avenue to construct functionalized two-dimensional polymers useful also for other green synthesis processes using solar irradiation.

Iodine modified carbon nitride semiconductors as visible light photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution

An optimized and general synthetic strategy based on in-situ iodine modifying of polymeric graphitic carbon nitride is discussed. The as-prepared iodine functionalized g-CN shows enhanced electronic and optical properties, as well as increased photocatalytic activities in an assay of hydrogen evolution.

Structure disorder of graphitic carbon nitride induced by liquid-assisted grinding for enhanced photocatalytic conversion

Graphitic-C₃N₄ with disordered structure was processed for the first time by a liquid-assisted planetary ball milling approach.

Novel visible-light driven g-C3N4/Zn0.25Cd0.75S composite photocatalyst for efficient degradation of dyes and reduction of Cr(vi) in water

The formation of heterojunction structures at the interfaces of g-C₃N₄ and Zn_0.25Cd_0.75S greatly enhanced the photocatalytic activity.

Facile fabrication of 3D flower-like heterostructured g-C3N4/SnS2 composite with efficient photocatalytic activity under visible light

The formation of heterojunction between g-C₃N₄ and SnS₂ greatly enhanced the photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄/SnS₂ compared with the mechanical mixed g-C₃N₄/SnS₂.

Polycondensation of guanidine hydrochloride into a graphitic carbon nitride semiconductor with a large surface area as a visible light photocatalyst

g-C₃N₄ prepared from guanidine hydrochloride exhibited a large surface area and a reduced recombination rate of electrons and holes, leading to improved photocatalytic activity for degrading RhB under visible light.

Nanosheets of graphitic carbon nitride as metal-free environmental photocatalysts

Nanosheets of g-C₃N₄ with a surface area of 109.9 m² g⁻¹ exhibit better optical properties and enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Facile fabrication and enhanced photosensitized degradation performance of the g-C3N4–Bi2O2CO3 composite

Flower-like Bi₂O₂CO₃ and g-C₃N₄–Bi₂O₂CO₃ microspheres with a high adsorption ability were synthesized using a facile method, and their dye-induced photosensitized degradation activity under visible light irradiation was evaluated.

Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical studies of visible-light active α-Fe2O3–g-C3N4 nanocomposites

Synergistic enhancement in photocatalytic degradation of α-Fe₂O₃–g-C₃N₄ due to an increase in visible-light absorption efficiency and rapid photoinduced charge separation.

Coupling ZnxCd1−xS nanoparticles with graphene-like MoS2: superior interfacial contact, low overpotential and enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation

A novel nanocomposite composed of graphene-like MoS₂ sheets and Zn_xCd_1−xS nanoparticles was used for photocatalytic hydrogen generation under visible light irradiation.

g-C3N4 quantum dots: direct synthesis, upconversion properties and photocatalytic application

g-C₃N₄ quantum dots were synthesized and can be used as general energy-transfer components in photocatalytic systems to harness the Vis-NIR spectrum of sunlight.

In situ construction of g-C3N4/g-C3N4 metal-free heterojunction for enhanced visible-light photocatalysis

The photocatalytic performance of the star photocatalyst g-C3N4 was restricted by the low efficiency because of the fast charge recombination. The present work developed a facile in situ method to construct g-C3N4/g-C3N4 metal-free isotype heterojunction with molecular composite precursors with the aim to greatly promote the charge separation. Considering the fact that g-C3N4 samples prepared from urea and thiourea separately have different band structure, the molecular composite precursors of urea and thiourea were treated simultaneously under the same thermal conditions, in situ creating a novel layered g-C3N4/g-C3N4 metal-free heterojunction (g-g CN heterojunction). This synthesis method is facile, economic, and environmentally benign using easily available earth-abundant green precursors. The confirmation of isotype g-g CN heterojunction was based on XRD, HRTEM, valence band XPS, ns-level PL, photocurrent, and EIS measurement. Upon visible-light irradiation, the photogenerated electrons transfer from g-C3N4 (thiourea) to g-C3N4 (urea) driven by the conduction band offset of 0.10 eV, whereas the photogenerated holes transfer from g-C3N4 (urea) to g-C3N4 (thiourea) driven by the valence band offset of 0.40 eV. The potential difference between the two g-C3N4 components in the heterojunction is the main driving force for efficient charge separation and transfer. For the removal of NO in air, the g-g CN heterojunction exhibited significantly enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity over g-C3N4 alone and physical mixture of g-C3N4 samples. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of g-g CN isotype heterojunction can be directly ascribed to efficient charge separation and transfer across the heterojunction interface as well as prolonged lifetime of charge carriers. This work demonstrated that rational design and construction of isotype heterojunction could open up a new avenue for the development of new efficient visible-light photocatalysts.

Preparation and enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity of graphitic carbon nitride/bismuth niobate heterojunctions

A series of graphitic carbon nitride/bismuth niobate (g-C3N4/Bi5Nb3O15) heterojunctions with g-C3N4 doping level of 10-90 wt% were prepared by a facile milling-heat treatment method. The phase and chemical structures, surface compositions, electronic and optical properties as well as morphologies of the prepared g-C3N4/Bi5Nb3O15 were well-characterized. Subsequently, the photocatalytic activity and stability of g-C3N4/Bi5Nb3O15 were evaluated by the degradation of aqueous methyl orange (MO) and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) under the visible-light irradiation. At suitable g-C3N4 doping levels, g-C3N4/Bi5Nb3O15 exhibited enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity compared with pure g-C3N4 or Bi5Nb3O15. This excellent photocatalytic activity was revealed in terms of the extension of visible-light response and efficient separation and transportation of the photogenerated electrons and holes due to coupling of g-C3N4 and Bi5Nb3O15. Additionally, the active species yielded in the pure g-C3N4- and g-C3N4/Bi5Nb3O15-catalyzed 4-CP photodegradation systems were investigated by the free radical and hole scavenging experiments.

Nanoporous graphitic carbon nitride with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Nanoporous g-C3N4 (npg-C3N4) with high surface area was prepared by a bubble-templating method. A higher calcination heating rate and proportion of thiourea can result in a larger surface area and better adsorption and photodegradation activities of npg-C3N4. Compared with the bulk g-C3N4, the adsorption capacity for the target pollutants and photocatalytic degradation and photocurrent performances under visible light irradiation of npg-C3N4 were greatly improved. The optimal photodegradation activity of npg-C3N4 was 3.4 times as high as that of the bulk g-C3N4. The enhanced activities of npg-C3N4 can be attributed to the larger number of surface active sites, improved separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and higher efficiency of charge immigration.

Graphene supported Co-g-C3N4 as a novel metal-macrocyclic electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) polymer was doped with cobalt species and supported on a similar sp(2) structure graphene, to form a novel nitrogen-metal macrocyclic catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline fuel cells. The structural characterizations confirmed the formation of Co-N bonds and the close electron coupling between Co-g-C3N4 and graphene sheets. The electrocatalytic measurements demonstrated Co-g-C3N4-catalyzed reduction of oxygen mainly in a four electron pathway. The improvement of ORR activity is closely related to the abundant accessible Co-Nx active sites and fast charge transfer at the interfaces of Co-g-C3N4/graphene. Also, Co-g-C3N4@graphene exhibited comparable ORR activity, better durability, and methanol tolerance ability in comparison to Pt/C, and bodes well for a promising non-noble cathode catalyst for the application of direct methanol fuel cells. The chemical doping strategy in this work would be helpful to improve other present catalysts for fuel cell applications.

Tungsten carbide nanoparticles as efficient cocatalysts for photocatalytic overall water splitting

Tungsten carbide exhibits platinum-like behavior, which makes it an interesting potential substitute for noble metals in catalytic applications. Tungsten carbide nanocrystals (≈5 nm) are directly synthesized through the reaction of tungsten precursors with mesoporous graphitic C(3)N(4) (mpg-C(3)N(4)) as the reactive template in a flow of inert gas at high temperatures. Systematic experiments that vary the precursor compositions and temperatures used in the synthesis selectively generate different compositions and structures for the final nanocarbide (W(2)C or WC) products. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the WC phase with a high surface area exhibits both high activity and stability in hydrogen evolution over a wide pH range. The WC sample also shows excellent hydrogen oxidation activity, whereas its activity in oxygen reduction is poor. These tungsten carbides are successful cocatalysts for overall water splitting and give H(2) and O(2) in a stoichiometric ratio from H(2)O decomposition when supported on a Na-doped SrTiO(3) photocatalyst. Herein, we present tungsten carbide (on a small scale) as a promising and durable catalyst substitute for platinum and other scarce noble-metal catalysts in catalytic reaction systems used for renewable energy generation.