Abstract
In the present work, it is very surprising to find that the precursors mass, a long overlooked factor for synthesis of 2D g-C3N4, exerts unexpected impact on g-C3N4 fabrication. The nanoarchitecture and photocatalytic capability of g-C3N4 can be well-tailored only by altering the precursors mass. As thiourea mass decreases, thin g-C3N4 nanosheets with higher surface area, elevated conduction band position and enhanced photocatalytic capability was triumphantly achieved. The optimized 2D g-C3N4 (CN-2T) exhibited exceptional high photocatalytic performance with a NO removal ratio of 48.3%, superior to that of BiOBr (21.3%), (BiO)2CO3 (18.6%) and Au/(BiO)2CO3 (33.8%). The excellent activity of CN-2T can be ascribed to the co-contribution of enlarged surface areas, strengthened electron-hole separation efficiency, enhanced electrons reduction capability and prolonged charge carriers lifetime. The DMPO ESR-spin trapping and hole trapping results demonstrate that the superoxide radicals (•O2−) and photogenerated holes are the main reactive species, while hydroxyl radicals (•OH) play a minor role in photocatalysis reaction. By monitoring the reaction intermediate and active species, the reaction mechanism for photocatalytic oxidation of NO by g-C3N4 was proposed. This strategy is novel and facile, which could stimulate numerous attentions in development of high-performance g-C3N4 based functional nanomaterials.
Highlights
In the present work, it is very surprising to find that the precursors mass, a long overlooked factor for synthesis of 2D g-C3N4, exerts unexpected impact on g-C3N4 fabrication
The precursor mass, a critical factor governing the micro-architecture of g-C3N4, has long been overlooked
Considering the unique effects of precursor mass, we developed a novel strategy for direct production of graphitic carbon nitride, with excellent photocatalytic capability for NO purification under visible-light illumination
Summary
It is very surprising to find that the precursors mass, a long overlooked factor for synthesis of 2D g-C3N4, exerts unexpected impact on g-C3N4 fabrication. By monitoring the reaction intermediate and active species, the reaction mechanism for photocatalytic oxidation of NO by g-C3N4 was proposed This strategy is novel and facile, which could stimulate numerous attentions in development of high-performance g-C3N4 based functional nanomaterials. Nanosheets achieved by the delamination of 2D layered compounds have been regarded as a novel class of nanostructured materials owing to their unique structural characteristic of ultimate two-dimensional anisotropy with extremely small thickness in nanometer scale[14]. This feature often brings nanosheets with unique physicochemical properties due to the quantum confinement effect. The external methods that could enhance the g-C3N4 must be under additive assistances, which make the fabrication process complicated
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