Molten-Salt Synthesis of Triazine-Based Carbon Nitride and Its Photocatalytic Degradation Mechanism Investigation by In Situ NMR

Abstract

Carbon nitride-based catalysts are nonmetallic materials with efficient photocatalysis for water splitting, degradation of organic dyes, and CO2 reduction. In this paper, a one-step molten salt method was employed for the synthesis of ionic doped carbon nitride materials named CNs (carbon nitride catalysts), which exhibited excellent adsorption performance and photocatalytic activity. The adulteration of Zn2+ ions created a unique nanosheet stack morphology, leading to more effective active sites and better electron transfer efficiency. Additionally, the degradation mechanism was investigated by the quasi-in situ NMR method. The reaction products and photocatalytic process were fully discussed, providing a new degradative pathway of methylene blue (MB) by such CN-based catalysts.