One-step fabrication and high photocatalytic activity of porous graphitic carbon nitride/graphene oxide hybrid by direct polymerization of cyanamide without templates

Graphene oxide modified porous g-C₃N₄ (porous g-C₃N₄/GO) had been synthesized by means of one-step calcination of cyanamide for efficient photocatalysis under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). We expect that the photocatalytic activity of this hybrid photocatalyst could be enhanced by the efficient visible light absorption due to the porous structure and efficient photo generated charge separation at the heterojunction formed between porous g-C₃N₄ and GO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images demonstrated that the as prepared photocatalyst is composed of GO and porous g-C₃N₄. The UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrum shows that optical absorption of porous g-C₃N₄/GO is more intensive than for pristine g-C₃N₄. The enhanced generation of photocurrent under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm) is observed for the porous g-C₃N₄/GO. The results of photocatalytic experiments reveal that the pseudofirst-order kinetic constant of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) using the porous g-C₃N₄/GO is 6 times higher than that of pristine g-C₃N₄.     

g-C3N4/Ag/TiO2复合材料的构筑及其光催化性能（英文）

以合成的g-C3N4纳米片和Ag/TiO2空心微球为原料,采用机械搅拌的方法构筑了g-C3N4/Ag/TiO2三元复合光催化剂。采用X射线衍射(XRD)、傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)、扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、紫外-可见光漫反射(UV-Vis DRS)和光致发光光谱(PL)对g-C3N4/Ag/TiO2进行了表征。研究表明,g-C3N4/Ag/TiO2是由Ag/TiO2微球和g-C3N4纳米片复合而成的。与TiO2相比,其可见光响应范围延长,光生载流子的分离速率加快。在室温下,用降解罗丹明B的反应考察了g-C3N4/Ag/TiO2的可见光催化活性。研究表明,光照180 min时,g-C3N4(0.5%)/Ag/TiO2显示了最高的光催化活性(91.9%),分别是TiO2和Ag/TiO2的7.5和1.8倍。光催化活性的提高与合理的异质结构建和Ag的导电性能有关。     

ZnO-based ternary nanocomposite for decolorization of methylene blue by photocatalytic dynamic membrane

In this article, novel Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄/GO ternary nanocomposites were prepared via co-precipitation method by 1%w Ag, 50% w g-C₃N₄, 10% w GO concentration and applied in dynamic membranes. The characteristics of Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄/GO nanocomposite were evaluated by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray map, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photocatalyst. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue was investigated under visible light. The photocatalytic efficiency of 93.43% for methylene blue degradation was obtained for Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄/GO nanocomposite after 50 min of irradiation, which was remarkably higher than that of pure ZnO, bare g-C₃N₄, Ag–ZnO, and Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄ at the same irradiation time. Likewise, in self-forming and pre-coated membranes, ternary nanocomposites can play a vital role in the membrane surface properties, as well as their decolorization performance. The rejection of methylene blue was 30% in pure polyethersulfone membrane, while the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in Ag–ZnO/g-C₃N₄/GO nanocomposites was 88.46% and 98.86% after 10 and 15 min of irradiation in both self-forming and pre-coated dynamic membranes, respectively. Experimental results show that the dynamic membrane possesses a higher ability for degradation of MB in a shorter period of time than the static system.     

Enhanced photocatalytic H2 production over dual-cocatalyst-modified g-C3N4 heterojunctions

Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited on the surface of g-C₃N₄ (CN) by an in situ calcination method. NiS was successfully loaded onto the composites by a hydrothermal method. The results showed that the 10 wt%-NiS/1.0 wt%-Ag/CN composite exhibits excellent photocatalytic H₂ generation performance under solar-light irradiation. An H₂ production rate of 9.728 mmol·g^?1·h^?1 was achieved, which is 10.82-, 3.45-, and 2.77-times higher than those of pure g-C₃N₄, 10 wt%-NiS/CN, and 1.0 wt%-Ag/CN composites, respectively. This enhanced photocatalytic H₂ generation can be ascribed to the co-decoration of Ag and NiS on the surface of g-C₃N₄, which efficiently improves light harvesting capacity, photogenerated charge carrier separation, and photocatalytic H₂ production kinetics. Thus, this study demonstrates an effective strategy for constructing excellent g-C₃N₄-related composite photocatalysts for H₂ production by using different co-catalysts.     

Novel PtPd alloy nanoparticle-decorated g-C3N4 nanosheets with enhanced photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution under visible light irradiation

PtPd bimetallic alloy nanoparticle (NP)-modified graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheet photocatalysts were synthesized via chemical deposition precipitation. Characterization of the photocatalytic H₂ evolution of the g-C₃N₄ nanosheets shows that it was significantly enhanced when PtPd alloy NPs were introduced as a co-catalyst. The 0.2 wt% PtPd/g-C₃N₄ composite photocatalyst gave a maximum H₂ production rate of 1600.8 μmol g^–1 h^–1. Furthermore, when K₂HPO₄ was added to the reaction system, the H₂ production rate increased to 2885.0 μmol g^–1 h^–1. The PtPd/g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst showed satisfactory photocatalytic stability and was able to maintain most of its photocatalytic activity after four experimental photocatalytic cycles. In addition, a possible mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed and verified by various photoelectric techniques. These results demonstrate that the synergistic effect between PtPd and g-C₃N₄ helps to greatly improve the photocatalytic activity of the composite photocatalyst.     

Acidification and bubble template derived porous g-C3N4 for efficient photodegradation and hydrogen evolution

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) as a metal-free candidate of photocatalyst has received worldwide attention because of its great potentials in solar light-induced degradation and hydrogen evolution, yet the industrial application is seriously hindered by the small specific surface area and rapid recombination rate of carriers. Herein, we demonstrate that porous g-C₃N₄ (HCl-CNU-X) can be prepared via the co-polymerization of acidified melamine and a green bubble template (urea). Transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen sorption characterization results show that the prepared HCl-CNU-X possesses an in-plane porous structure and large specific surface area, enabling the exposure of more accessible active sites. As a result, HCl-CNU-X exhibits both enhanced photocatalytic tetracycline hydrochloride degradation and higher hydrogen evolution than bulk g-C₃N₄. The boosted photocatalytic performance was ascribed to the formation of the porous structure, which dramatically promotes the separation of charge-carriers and facilitates the electron transfer. This work demonstrates that the acidification of nitrogen-rich precursors combined with a bubble-template can develop a new paradigm of highly porous photocatalysts for environmental remediation and water splitting.     

Gold/monolayer graphitic carbon nitride plasmonic photocatalyst for ultrafast electron transfer in solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion

Gold (Au) plasmonic nanoparticles were grown evenly on monolayer graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets via a facile oil-bath method. The photocatalytic activity of the Au/monolayer g-C₃N₄ composites under visible light was evaluated by photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and environmental treatment. All of the Au/monolayer g-C₃N₄ composites showed better photocatalytic performance than that of monolayer g-C₃N₄ and the 1% Au/monolayer g-C₃N₄ composite displayed the highest photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of the samples. The remarkable photocatalytic activity was attributed largely to the successful introduction of Au plasmonic nanoparticles, which led to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. The SPR effect enhanced the efficiency of light harvesting and induced an efficient hot electron transfer process. The hot electrons were injected from the Au plasmonic nanoparticles into the conduction band of monolayer g-C₃N₄. Thus, the Au/monolayer g-C₃N₄ composites possessed higher migration and separation efficiencies and lower recombination probability of photogenerated electron-hole pairs than those of monolayer g-C₃N₄. A photocatalytic mechanism for the composites was also proposed.     

一锅法制备Co3O4/g-C3N4复合光催化剂及其光催化性能

以三聚氰胺和六水合氯化钴为原料,一锅法制备Co_3O_4负载的多孔石墨相氮化碳(Co_3O_4/g-C_3N_4)复合光催化材料。采用X射线衍射(XRD)、傅里叶变换红外(FT-IR)光谱、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)、光致发光光谱(PL)等手段对其结构和光学特性进行表征。以盐酸四环素(TC)为目标污染物,评价了不同负载量Co_3O_4/g-C_3N_4复合光催化剂的可见光催化性能。结果表明,所制备的Co_3O_4/g-C_3N_4复合光催化剂为多孔结构,其比表面积较大,并在可见光区域具有显著的吸收。利用原位生成的Co_3O_4纳米粒子在氮化碳表面形成异质结构,可有效转移光生载流子,降低光生电子-空穴的再结合率,从而提高光催化活性。并且存在最佳Co_3O_4复合量,当六水合氯化钴加入量为三聚氰胺的8%(w/w)时,所制备的复合光催化剂CoCN-8具有最佳的光催化性能。在可见光的照射下,60 min内可降解85%的TC,而同样条件下,纯g-C_3N_4仅降解23%的TC。     

分级孔结构g-C3N4光催化剂的制备及性能

以单分散SiO2为模板,通过简单的一步煅烧法制备具有分级孔结构的g-C3N4。与体相g-C3N4相比,分级孔结构的g-C3N4不仅可见光吸收性能和比表面积得到提高,而且更有利于光生电子-空穴的分离。此外,具有分级孔结构的g-C3N4具有明显增强的可见光驱动的光催化产氢活性,当SiO2和二氰二胺质量比为1∶1时,制备所得g-C3N4(C3N4-2)产氢速率几乎是体相g-C3N4的18倍。     

凹凸棒石/g-C3N4-AgFeO2复合材料制备及其光催化性能

以凹凸棒石(简称凹土,ATP)为基体,通过原位化学法一步直接合成g-C_3N_4薄层材料,并将其有效固载于凹土表面(ATP/gC_3N_4),再通过原位沉淀法引入不同比例AgFeO_2纳米颗粒,构筑系列兼具磁分离特性和高效光催化活性的ATP/g-C_3N_4-AgFeO_2-Y复合光催化剂(Y=wATP/g-C_3N_4/(wATP/g-C_3N_4+wAg FeO_2)×100%,表示ATP/g-C_3N_4在ATP/g-C_3N_4-AgFeO_2复合材料中所占的质量百分数)。采用XRD、SEM、BET、UV-Vis、PL和ICP表征其结构和物化性能,以酸性红G(ARG)为目标降解物,研究其光催化性能。研究发现:通过形成Si-O-C键,g-C_3N_4薄层被均匀固定在凹土表面;AgFeO_2纳米颗粒均匀沉积于ATP/g-C_3N_4表面并形成Z型异质结,ATP/gC_3N_4-AgFeO_2-Y具有比ATP/g-C_3N_4和AgFeO_2更优异的可见光光催化性能,且随着ATP/g-C_3N_4含量的增大呈先升高而后下降的趋势;当Y=57%时复合材料的性能最佳,ATP/g-C_3N_4-AgFeO_2-57%对20 mg·L-1酸性红G的降解率可达97.4%,循环4次使用后,降解率仍保持94.2%。通过自由基捕获实验研究了光催化反应机理,发现·O2-是光催化过程的主要活性物种。     

g-C3N4纳米管的制备及其光催化降解性能

以三聚氰胺和碳酸氢铵混合物为原料,采用简便热解法制备g-C_3N_4纳米管。热解过程中碳酸氢铵分解释放出大量的NH3,能够诱导纳米管的形成。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、红外光谱(IR)、N_2吸附-脱附、紫外-可见漫反射光谱以及紫外可见光谱(UV)等分析测试方法对该光催化剂的微观形貌结构和催化性能进行了表征。以罗丹明光催化降解为模型反应研究了g-C_3N_4纳米管的光催化活性。g-C_3N_4纳米管的表面积明显增大,且能够有效地促进光生电子转移,在可见光下具有较强的光催化性能,降解率在60和120 min时分别能达到95%和99.4%,且循环重复利用5次后降解率不低于92%。     

g-C3N4纳米管的制备及其光催化降解性能

以三聚氰胺和碳酸氢铵混合物为原料,采用简便热解法制备g-C₃N₄纳米管。热解过程中碳酸氢铵分解释放出大量的NH₃,能够诱导纳米管的形成。利用X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、红外光谱（IR）、N₂吸附-脱附、紫外-可见漫反射光谱以及紫外可见光谱（UV）等分析测试方法对该光催化剂的微观形貌结构和催化性能进行了表征。以罗丹明光催化降解为模型反应研究了g-C₃N₄纳米管的光催化活性。g-C₃N₄纳米管的表面积明显增大,且能够有效地促进光生电子转移,在可见光下具有较强的光催化性能,降解率在60和120 min时分别能达到95%和99.4%,且循环重复利用5次后降解率不低于92%。     

Precise regulation of Ultra-thin platinum decorated Gold/Graphite carbon nitride photocatalysts by atomic layer deposition for efficient degradation of Rhodamine B under simulated sunlight

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) precise controlling ultra-thin platinum (Pt) modified Graphite carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) photocatalysts, which had been doped with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) by photodeposition, were successfully synthesized. The experimental results showed that precise regulation of platinum decorated C₃N₄-Au(C₃N₄-Au/nPt (n is the number of Pt ALD cycles, 1 Å per cycle)) exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation ability for Rhodamine B (RhB). Under simulated sunlight irradiation, the degradation rate of 10 mg/L RhB(100 mL) by 1.5 mg C₃N₄-Au/10Pt catalysts was 95.8% within 60 min that is much better than other photocatalysts for the degradation of RhB. The efficient degradation mechanism of RhB by C₃N₄-Au/10Pt photocatalysts was studied and the experiments demonstrated the ·O₂^– as main active species played an important role in the photocatalytic process. Local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Au NPs and Schottky barrier between Pt clusters and g-C₃N₄ may be the reasons for enhanced C₃N₄-Au/10Pt photocatalytic performances. Furthermore, the successive catalytic cycles revealed the excellent stability of C₃N₄-Au/10Pt photocatalyst.     

Synthesis g-C3N4 of high specific surface area by precursor pretreatment strategy with SBA-15 as a template and their photocatalytic activity toward degradation of rhodamine B

Using SBA-15 as a template, high surface area porous graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C₃N₄) were successfully synthesized by pretreating melamine using hydrochloric acid, and fully characterized by Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron micrographs (SEM), N₂ adsorption-desorption, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. The results of these analyses indicated that the g-C₃N₄ synthesized from HCl-pretreated melamine with SBA-15 as a template has enhanced specific surface area and increased the separation rate of the photogenerated electrons and holes compared with bulk g-C₃N₄, but didn’t change the structure of bulk g-C₃N₄. The photocatalytic activity of samples was evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under xenon lamp. The results indicated that the activity was improved significantly with the increase of specific surface area. The rate constant for CN-3（HCl pretreatment melamine precursor and SBA-15 as a template） was 13 times as high as g-C₃N₄. Furthermore, the CN-3 catalyst exhibited outstanding structural and catalytic stability.     

In-situ polymerization for PPy/g-C3N4 composites with enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance

Polypyrrole-modified graphitic carbon nitride composites (PPy/g-C₃N₄) are fabricated using an in-situ polymerization method to improve the visible light photocatalytic activity of g-C₃N₄. The PPy/g-C₃N₄ is applied to the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. Various characterization techniques are employed to investigate the relationship between the structural properties and photoactivities of the as-prepared composites. Results show that the specific surface area of the PPy/g-C₃N₄ composites increases upon assembly of the amorphous PPy nanoparticles on the g-C₃N₄ surface. Owing to the strong conductivity, the PPy can be used as a transition channel for electrons to move onto the g-C₃N₄ surface, thus inhibiting the recombination of photogenerated carriers of g-C₃N₄ and improving the photocatalytic performance. The elevated light adsorption of PPy/g-C₃N₄ composites is attributed to the strong absorption coefficient of PPy. The composite containing 0.75 wt% PPy exhibits a photocatalytic efficiency that is 3 times higher than that of g-C₃N₄ in 2 h. Moreover, the degradation kinetics follow a pseudo-first-order model. A detailed photocatalytic mechanism is proposed with ·OH and ·O₂^? radicals as the main reactive species. The present work provides new insights into the mechanistic understanding of PPy in PPy/g-C₃N₄ composites for environmental applications.     

中空管状g-C3N4/Ag3PO4复合催化剂的制备及其可见光催化性能

采用化学沉淀法制备中空管状 g-C₃N₄/Ag₃PO₄复合催化剂。通过 X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、紫外可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)和荧光光谱对其结构、形貌和光学性能进行了表征。结果表明：Ag₃PO₄纳米颗粒均匀地分散在中空管状g-C₃N₄表面,两者紧密结合形成异质结。研究复合催化剂在可见光照射下降解盐酸四环素(TC)的光催化活性。结果显示：复合催化剂在80 min内对TC的降解率为98%,其降解反应速率常数是纯相Ag₃PO₄的3倍。经过5次循环实验后复合催化剂对于TC的降解率仍保持87%,具有优良的循环稳定性。捕获实验表明空穴(h⁺)和超氧负离子(·O₂^ˉ)是光催化反应过程中的主要活性物种。根据能带理论,提出了复合催化剂异质结的Z型光催化机理。     

Advantageous Interfacial Effects of AgPd/g-C3N4 for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution: Electronic Structure and H2O Dissociation

Bimetallic AgPd nanoparticles have been synthesized before, but the interfacial electronic effects of AgPd on the photocatalytic performance have been investigated less. In this work, the results of hydrogen evolution suggest that the bimetallic AgPd/g-C₃N₄ sample has superior activity to Ag/g-C₃N₄ and Pd/g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts. The UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, CO adsorption diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy, and FTIR results demonstrate that in the AgPd/g-C₃N₄, the surface electronic structures of Pd and Ag are changed, which is beneficial for faster photogenerated electron transfer and greater H₂O molecule adsorption. In situ ESR spectra suggest that, under visible light irradiation, there is more H₂O dissociation to radical species on the AgPd/g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst. Furthermore, DFT calculations confirm the interfacial electronic effects of AgPd/g-C₃N₄, that is, Pd^δ−⋅⋅⋅Ag^δ+, and the activation energy of H₂O molecule dissociation on AgPd/g-C₃N₄ is the lowest, which is the main contributor to the enhanced photocatalytic H₂ evolution.     

Hydrogen production and photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4/Co-MOF (ZIF-67) nanocomposite under visible light irradiation

Herein, cobalt (Co)-based metal–organic zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZIF-67) coupled with g-C₃N₄ nanosheets synthesized via a simple microwave irradiation method. SEM, TEM and HR-TEM results showed that ZIF-67 were uniformly dispersed on g-C₃N₄ surfaces and had a rhombic dodecahedron shape. The photocatalytic properties of g-C₃N₄/ZIF-67 nanocomposite were evaluated by photocatalytic dye degradation of crystal violet (CV), 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) and photocatalytic hydrogen (H₂) production. In presence of visible light illumination, the photocatalytic dye results showed that 95% CV degradation and 53% 4-CP degradation within 80 min. The H₂ production of the g-C₃N₄/ZIF-67 composite was 2084 μmol g⁻¹, which is 3.84 folds greater than that of bare g-C₃N₄ (541 μmol g⁻¹).     

Highly sensitive fluorescence detection of chloride ion in aqueous solution with Ag-modified porous g-C3N4 nanosheets

The porous g-C₃N₄ (PCN) nanosheets are successfully synthesized and further modified with nano-sized Ag by a simple wet-chemical process. Interestingly, the Ag-modified porous g-C₃N₄ (Ag-PCN) nanosheets exhibit competitive fluorescence detection performance of chloride ion (Cl⁻) in aqueous solution. Under the optimized conditions, the concentration of Cl⁻ could be quantitative analyzed with the Ag-PCN in a wide detection range from 0.5 mmol/L to 0.1 mol/L, with a low detection limitation of 0.06 mmol/L. It is confirmed that the fluorescence of PCN could be effectively decayed by the photoinduced charge transfer via the adsorbed Cl⁻ for trapping holes, mainly by means of the time-resolved fluorescence and surface photovoltage spectra. The porous structure and modified Ag promote the adsorption of Cl⁻ on resulting Ag-PCN, leading to excellent fluorescence detection for Cl⁻. This work provides a feasible route to develop a fluorescence detection of Cl⁻ with g-C₃N₄ nanosheets in environment water.     

Fabrication of noble-metal-free NiS<Subscript>2</Subscript>/g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript> hybrid photocatalysts with visible light-responsive photocatalytic activities

Nanocomposites of NiS₂ with graphitic carbon nitride (NiS₂/g-C₃N₄) have been successfully synthesized by means of a facile hydrothermal method. The photocatalytic activities of as-prepared samples were evaluated by monitoring the photodecomposition of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The experimental results indicated that visible light-driven NiS₂/g-C₃N₄ composites exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to that of pure NiS₂, due to the fast generation, separation and transportation of the photogenerated carriers resulting from the addition of NiS₂ nanoparticles (NPs). Interestingly, different amounts of NiS₂ deposition can affect the photocatalytic activities of the NiS₂/g-C₃N₄ composites. A suitable loading amount of NiS₂ NPs presents the best photodegradation performance. The photocatalytic reaction mechanism for the improved photocatalytic performance of NiS₂/g-C₃N₄ catalyst was proposed which was supported by PL, PEC, EIS and active species trapping results. A promising strategy presented here provides a facile route towards the development of economical, noble metal-free composites as photocatalysts for the applications in environmental remediation.