Synthesizing a nano-composite of BSA-capped Au nanoclusters/graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets as a new fluorescent probe for dopamine detection

A strong red fluorescent nanocomposite, consisting of graphite-like carbon nitride nanosheets (g-C₃N₄ NSs) and serum albumin-capped Au nanoclusters (AuNCs), was synthesized. Dopamine (DA) can quench the red fluorescence of the nanocomposite, based on the Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism. In this quenching process, the energy is transferred from the fluorescent g-C₃N₄ NSs-AuNCs to the oxidized DA quinine molecules (DA is easily oxidated to form DA quinine in air). The red fluorescence emission at 420 nm decreases dramatically and the quenching ratio (F₀ – F)/F₀ is linearly related to the concentration of DA in the range of 0.05–8.0 μmol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.018 μmol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). Additionally, this sensor has a potential of application to assay the DA in the real samples, such as human serum and human urine.     

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.     

Fast electron transfer and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity by using poly-o-phenylenediamine modified AgCl/g-C3N4 nanosheets

Exfoliation of bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) into two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets is one of the effective strategies to improve its photocatalytic properties so that the 2D g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (CN) have larger specific surface areas and more reaction sites. In addition, poly-o-phenylenediamine (PoPD) can improve the electrical conductivity and photocatalytic activity of semiconductor materials. Here, the novel efficient composite PoPD/AgCl/g-C₃N₄ nanosheets was first synthesized by a precipitation reaction and the photoinitiated polymerization approach. The obtained photocatalysts have larger specific surface areas and could achieve better visible-light response. However, silver chloride (AgCl) is susceptible to agglomeration and photocorrosion. The PoPD/AgCl/CN composite exhibits an extremely high photocurrent density, which is three times that of CN. Obviously enhanced photocatalytic activities of PoPD/AgCl/g-C₃N₄ are revealed through the photodegradation of tetracycline. The stability of PoPD/AgCl/CN is demonstrated based on four cycles of experiments that reveal that the degradation rate only decreases slightly. Furthermore, ?O₂^? and h⁺ are the main active species, which are confirmed through a trapping experiment and ESR spin-trap technique. Therefore, the prepared PoPD/AgCl/CN can be considered as a stable photocatalyst, in which PoPD is added as a charge carrier and acts a photosensitive protective layer on the surface of the AgCl particles. This provides a new technology for preparing highly stable composite photocatalysts that can effectively deal with environmental issues.     

Surface molecular imprinting on g-C3N4 photooxidative nanozyme for improved colorimetric biosensing

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), as a visible-light-active organic semiconductor, has attracted growing attentions in photocatalysis and photoluminescence-based biosensing. Here, we demonstrated the intrinsic photooxidase activity of g-C₃N₄ and then surface molecular imprinting on g-C₃N₄ nanozymes was achieved for improved biosensing. Upon blue LED irradiation, the g-C₃N₄ exhibited superior enzymatic activity for oxidation of chromogenic substrate like 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) without destructive H₂O₂. The oxidation was mainly ascribed to O₂⁻ that was generated during light irradiation. The surface molecular imprinting on g-C₃N₄ can lead to an over 1000-fold alleviation in matrix-interference from serum samples, 4-fold improved enzymatic activity as well as enhanced substrate specificity comparing with bare g-C₃N₄ during colorimetric sensing. Also, the MIP-g-C₃N₄ possesses a high affinity to TMB with a K_m value of only 22 μmol/L, much lower than other comment nanozymes like AuNPs, Fe₃O₄ NPs, etc. It was successfully applied for detection of cysteine in serum sample with satisfactory recoveries.     

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.     

Honeycomb-like g-C3N4/CeO2-x nanosheets obtained via one step hydrothermal-roasting for efficient and stable Cr(VI) photo-reduction

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄)-based materials are regarded as one of the most potential photocatalysts for utilizing solar energy. In this work, we reported a facile one step in-situ hydrothermal-roasting method for preparing honeycomb-like g-C₃N₄/CeO₂ nanosheets with abundant oxygen vacancies (g-C₃N₄/CeO_2-x). The hydrothermal-roasting and incomplete-sealed state can (i) generate an in-situ reducing atmosphere (CO, N₂, NH₃) to tune the concentration of oxygen vacancies in CeO₂; (ii) beneficial to prevent continuous growth of g-C₃N₄ and results in honeycomb-like g-C₃N₄/CeO_2-x hybrid nanosheets. What is more, the g-C₃N₄/CeO_2-x photocatalyst exhibited extended photoresponse range, increased specific surface area and obviously enhanced separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. As a proof-of-concept application, the optimized g-C₃N₄/CeO_2-x nanosheets could achieve 98% removal efficiency for Cr(VI) under visible light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm) within 2.5 h, which is significantly better than those of pure g-C₃N₄ and CeO₂. This work provides a new idea for more rationally designing and constructing g-C₃N₄-based catalysts for efficient extended photochemical application.     

Facile synthesis of GO as middle carrier modified flower-like BiOBr and C3N4 nanosheets for simultaneous treatment of chromium(VI) and tetracycline

A novel GO modified g-C₃N₄ nanosheets/flower-like BiOBr hybrid photocatalyst is fabricated by a facile method. The characterization results reveal that wrinkled GO is deposited between g-C₃N₄ nanosheets and flower-like BiOBr forming a Z-scheme heterojunction. As a mediator, plicate GO plays a positive role in prompting photogenerated electrons transferring through its sizeable 2D/2D contact surface area. The g-C₃N₄/GO/BiOBr hybrid displays a superior photocatalytic ability to g-C₃N₄ and BiOBr in photodegrading tetracycline (TC), whose removal efficiency could reach 96% within 2 h. Besides, g-C₃N₄/GO/BiOBr composite can reduce Cr(VI), and simultaneously treat TC and Cr(VI) combination contaminant under the visible light. The g-C₃N₄/GO/BiOBr ternary composite also exhibits satisfactory stability and reusability after four cycling experiments. Further, a feasible mechanism related to the photocatalytic process of g-C₃N₄/GO/BiOBr is put forward. This study offers a ternary hybrid photocatalyst with eco-friendliness and hopeful application in water pollution.     

Upgraded charge transport in g-C3N4 nanosheets by boron doping and their heterojunction with 3D CdIn2S4 for efficient photodegradation of azo dye

The facilitation of charge transport toward the targeted chemical reaction is a challenging task for two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. We demonstrate the effectiveness of two different strategies, non-metal doping and heterojunction formation, to adjust the electronic and molecular structures of g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (CN), which could widen the visible-light response and improve the photo-induced electron–hole separation. The g-C₃N₄ nanosheets containing impurity levels (boron doping (BCN)) were prepared by a high-temperature solid-state reaction. Additionally, by anchoring the 3D dichalcogenide structures (CdIn₂S₄) elicited by a wet chemical route, hybrid BCN/CdIn₂S₄ nanostructures were obtained. The resulting BCN/CdIn₂S₄ (BCN–CIS3) nanostructures exhibited an excellent degradation efficiency (95%) for methyl orange (MO) compared to pristine g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (CN) (28%) and boron-doped g-C₃N₄ (BCN) (35%). All the optimized photocatalysts were thoroughly characterized using various techniques and investigated for comparative structural, optical, morphological, and catalytic properties. Our results reveal that introducing boron atoms into the lattice of g-C₃N₄ nanosheets leads to reduction in the band-gap energy and rapid electron transfer. The formation of heterojunctions with the 3D CdIn₂S₄ further assists in improving the degradation efficiency by minimizing the undesired electron–hole recombination, as confirmed by time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) analysis. This work proposes feasible strategies and their synergy to develop innovative materials for sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation applications.     

Pt/g-C_3N_4/KB纳米复合催化剂的制备及其甲醇氧化性能

采用溶液中等离子放电法制备出了Pt纳米颗粒,用热氧化刻蚀和水热法成功的对石墨相氮化碳(g-C_3N_4)进行处理进而均匀吸附在科琴黑(KB)表面,最终制备出了Pt/g-C_3N_4/KB纳米复合催化剂。通过XRD分析,扫描电镜,透射电镜和电化学工作站探究了催化剂的组成、结构、颗粒大小以及电化学性能。Pt/g-C_3N_4/KB纳米复合催化剂展现出了良好的甲醇电氧化性能,性能的提升可能是由于g-C_3N_4良好的化学稳定性,N元素的存在改变Pt外层电子结构从而提高催化活性,这些因素提高了Pt的催化效率。     

Pt/g-C3N4/KB纳米复合催化剂的制备及其甲醇氧化性能

采用溶液中等离子放电法制备出了Pt纳米颗粒,用热氧化刻蚀和水热法成功的对石墨相氮化碳（g-C₃N₄）进行处理进而均匀吸附在科琴黑（KB）表面,最终制备出了Pt/g-C₃N₄/KB纳米复合催化剂。通过XRD分析,扫描电镜,透射电镜和电化学工作站探究了催化剂的组成、结构、颗粒大小以及电化学性能。Pt/g-C₃N₄/KB纳米复合催化剂展现出了良好的甲醇电氧化性能,性能的提升可能是由于g-C₃N₄良好的化学稳定性,N元素的存在改变Pt外层电子结构从而提高催化活性,这些因素提高了Pt的催化效率。     

Reversible inhibition of the oxidase-like activity of Fe single-atom nanozymes for drug detection

Mechanism research of nanozymes has always been of great interest since their emergence as outstanding mimics of friable natural enzymes. An important but rarely mentioned issue in mechanism research of nanozymology is the inhibitory effect of nanozymes. And conventional nanozymes with various active sites hinder the mechanism research, while single-atom Fe–N–C nanozymes with similar active sites to natural enzymes exhibit structural advantages. Herein, we synthesized Fe single-atom nanozymes (Fe-SANs) with ultrahigh oxidase-like activity and found that a common analgesic-antipyretic drug 4-acetamidophenol (AMP) had inhibitory effects for the oxidase-like activity of Fe-SANs. We investigated the inhibitory effects in detail and demonstrated that the inhibition type was reversible mixed-inhibition with inhibition constants (K_i and ) of 0.431 mM and 0.279 mM, respectively. Furthermore, we put forward a colorimetric method for AMP detection based on nanozyme inhibition. The research on the inhibitory effects of small molecules on nanozymes expands the scope of analysis based on nanozymes and the inhibition mechanism study may offer some insight into investigating the interaction between nanozymes and inhibitors.

Inhibitory effects of paracetamol on the oxidase-like activity of Fe single-atom nanozymes.     

Two-dimensional g-C3N4 nanosheets-based photo-catalysts for typical sustainable processes

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has been widely studied as a visible light responsive photocatalyst in recent years, due to its facile synthesis, low cost, high stability, and appropriate bandgap/band positions. In this review, we firstly introduce and compare various exfoliation approaches of bulk g-C₃N₄ into ultrathin g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. Then, many modification strategies of g-C₃N₄ nanosheets are also reviewed, including heterojunction construction, doping, defect control, and structure design. Thereafter, the charge transfer mechanism in g-C₃N₄ nanosheets based heterojunctions is present, e.g., Z-scheme, S-scheme and other forms. Besides, the photocatalytic applications of g-C₃N₄ nanosheets based photocatalysts are summarized including environmental remediation, energy generation and storage, organic synthesis, and disinfection. This review ends with a summary and some perspectives on the challenges and new directions in exploring g-C₃N₄ nanosheets-based photocatalysts.     

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。     

Fluorescent MOF-based nanozymes for discrimination of phenylenediamine isomers and ratiometric sensing of o-phenylenediamine

Although peroxidase-like nanozymes have made great progress in bioanalysis,few current nanozymebased biosensors are constructed for discriminating isomers of organic compounds.Herein,fluorescent metal-organic framework（MOF）-based nanozyme is utilized for phenylenediamine isomers discrimination and detection.NH₂-MIL-101（Fe）,as a member of Fe-based MOFs,functions as not only fluorescent indicator but also peroxidase mimics.In the presence of H₂ O₂,NH2-MIL-101（Fe） c...     

Graphitic carbon nitride embedded hydrogels for enhanced gel electrophoresis

Here, we show, for the first time, the use of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets to improve the resolution and efficiency of protein separation in gel electrophoresis. By loading 0.04% (m/v) g-C₃N₄ nanosheets into the polyacrylamide gel at 25 °C, the thermal conductivity increased approximately 80% which resulted in 20% reduction in Joule heating and overall increase of separation efficiency. Also, polymerization of acrylamide occurred in the absence of tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) when the polyacrylamide gel contained g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. Hence, the g-C₃N₄ act simultaneously as a polymerization catalyst as well as heat sinks to lower Joule heating effect on band broadening.     

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.     

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).     

Water Transport with Ultralow Friction through Partially Exfoliated g-C3N4 Nanosheet Membranes with Self-Supporting Spacers

Two-dimensional (2D) graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets show brilliant application potential in numerous fields. Herein, a membrane with artificial nanopores and self-supporting spacers was fabricated by assembly of 2D g-C₃N₄ nanosheets in a stack with elaborate structures. In water purification the g-C₃N₄ membrane shows a better separation performance than commercial membranes. The g-C₃N₄ membrane has a water permeance of 29 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ and a rejection rate of 87 % for 3 nm molecules with a membrane thickness of 160 nm. The artificial nanopores in the g-C₃N₄ nanosheets and the spacers between the partially exfoliated g-C₃N₄ nanosheets provide nanochannels for water transport while bigger molecules are retained. The self-supported nanochannels in the g-C₃N₄ membrane are very stable and rigid enough to resist environmental challenges, such as changes to pH and pressure conditions. Permeation experiments and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that a novel nanofluidics phenomenon takes place, whereby water transport through the g-C₃N₄ nanosheet membrane occurs with ultralow friction. The findings provide new understanding of fluidics in nanochannels and illuminate a fabrication method by which rigid nanochannels may be obtained for applications in complex or harsh environments.     

g-C3N4基复合分离膜的制备及光催化性能

利用g-C₃N₄纳米片表面的氨基与膜基底材料氯甲基化聚醚砜（CMPES）的苄氯基团发生化学交联反应,再通过相转化法制备出g-C₃N₄/CMPES复合膜。系统研究了g-C₃N₄纳米片的添加对复合膜的结构、形貌及过滤、光催化、抗污染性能的影响,并探讨其光催化降解牛血清白蛋白溶液（BSA）的机理。研究结果表明：g-C₃N₄纳米片与膜基底材料通过化学键相连接,有效提高了复合膜的光催化性能和稳定性。由于g-C₃N₄纳米片的亲水性和光催化作用,使复合膜表现出优异的过滤性能和抗污染性能。     

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.