Facile synthesis of nanoporpous graphitic carbon nitride photocatalyst coupled with N-doped graphene quantum dots for efficient photo-degradation dyes under nature solar light radiation

Abstract

Nanoporous graphitic carbon nitride modified with N-doped graphene quantums dots (N-GQD@npg-C3N4) was prepared via a one-pot co-sintering method. The presented N-GQD@npg-C3N4 showed a high photocatalytic activity (PCA) for the degradation of organic dyes under solar radiation. This result can be ascribed to two reasons: (i) the uniform distribution of N-GQDs on the surface of npg-C3N4, which allows for an accelerated electron transfer from npg-C3N4 to N-GQD; and (ii) the unique nanoporous structure of npg-C3N4, providing a large active surface area. This work opens up a new avenue for the utilization of a robust, cost-effective and metal-free photocatalyst in practical applications, e.g. waste water treatment.