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Template‐Free Synthesis of Three‐Dimensional Nanoporous Bulk Graphitic Carbon Nitride with Remarkably Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Good Separation Properties
Author(s) -
Shen Jianchao,
Yang Hui,
Shen Qianhong,
Feng Yu,
Cai Qifeng,
Yang Huiying
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
european journal of inorganic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1099-0682
pISSN - 1434-1948
DOI - 10.1002/ejic.201500105
Subject(s) - graphitic carbon nitride , nanoporous , photocatalysis , rhodamine b , chemistry , diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform , spectroscopy , scanning electron microscope , carbon nitride , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , transmission electron microscopy , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , materials science , organic chemistry , catalysis , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , composite material
A facile template‐free method is presented for the fabrication of three‐dimensional (3D) nanoporous bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ) with an interconnected framework. Various techniques, namely, X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, elemental analysis, specific surface area measurements (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method), UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, time‐resolved fluorescence decay spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemical measurements, were adopted to analyze the structures and physicochemical properties of the as‐prpared samples. The results show that the nanoporous bulk g‐C 3 N 4 with a particle size of ca. 20 μm exhibits a high specific surface area, which is ca. 30.9 times higher than that of the original material. The g‐C 3 N 4 with such a structure exhibits an improved adsorption capacity for the target pollutants and is readily separable from the photocatalysis reaction system. It is believed that a two‐step protonation process plays a key role in the formation of the structure. Furthermore, this 3D nanoporous bulk g‐C 3 N 4 also shows more‐efficient photogenerated carrier transfer and separation. As a result, the visible‐light photocatalytic activity of g‐C 3 N 4 is significantly enhanced, and the degradation rates of methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B (RhB) dyes over the nanoporous bulk g‐C 3 N 4 are ca. 5.0 and 22.3 times higher, respectively, than that over the original material.