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Title: Porous graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets by pre-polymerization for enhanced photocatalysis

Journal Article · · Materials Characterization
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  1. State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072 (China)

Highlights: • A porous g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheet is synthesized by a simple pre-polymerization method. • A large surface area and pore volume are obtained. • Formation mechanism of the porous structure is discussed. • Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and degradation performances are both enhanced. - Abstract: A facile and green method was developed to fabricate porous graphitic carbon nitride (g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}) nanosheets by simply pre-polymerizing melamine at 350 °C for 2 h. A porous structure was formed in the resulted g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} (CN-350). Consequently, the specific surface area and pore volume of CN-350 was greatly enhanced, resulting in superior performance in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and dye degradation. The hydrogen evolution rate and degradation constant of CN-350 were 11.2 and 8.8 times higher than that of bulk g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} under visible light irradiation. The porous structure not only provided CN-350 with abundant active catalytic sites and cross-plane diffusion channels to facilitate the charge and mass transportation, but also promoted the charge separation in the photocatalytic reaction. This work provided a promising method for mass-production of highly active and stable g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}-based photocatalysts for environmental and energetic applications.

OSTI ID:
22804969
Journal Information:
Materials Characterization, Vol. 139; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2017 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1044-5803
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English