Comparing the photocatalytic properties of g-C3N4 treated by thermal decomposition, solvothermal and protonation

Abstract

Abstract The photocatalytic properties of the g-C3N4 obtained by the thermal decomposition (bulk g-C3N4), solvothermal (S-g-C3N4) and protonation (P-g-C3N4) method were compared by degrading MB in visible light. The photocatalytic activities of the bulk g-C3N4, the S-g-C3N4 and the P-g-C3N4 were 67.2%, 94.4% and 83.8%, respectively. It can be ascribed to the S-g-C3N4 and P-g-C3N4 had the nanosheets structure with micropores, the lower recombination rates of charge carriers, the better dispersion and the wider band gaps. Additionally, the excellent enhancement of the S-g-C3N4 was attributed to the fluffy nanosheets with pores, and the solvothermal treatment can better enlarge the band gap and improve the dispersion. These results showed that the photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4 can be improved effectively by the solvothermal treatment.