Abstract
A one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure having a porous network is an exceptional photocatalytic material to generate hydrogen (H2) and decontaminate wastewater using solar energy. In this report, we synthesized nanoporous 1D microrods of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) via a facile and template-free chemical approach at room temperature. The use of concentrated acids induced etching and lift-off because of strong oxidation and protonation. Compared with the bulk g-C3N4, the porous 1D microrod structure showed five times higher photocatalytic degradation performance toward methylene blue dye (MB) under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic H2 evolution of the 1D nanostructure (34 μmol g−1) was almost 26 times higher than that of the bulk g-C3N4 structure (1.26 μmol g−1). Additionally, the photocurrent stability of this nanoporous 1D morphology over 24 h indicated remarkable photocorrosion resistance. The improved photocatalytic activities were attributed to prolonged carrier lifetime because of its quantum confinement effect, effective separation and transport of charge carriers, and increased number of active sites from interconnected nanopores throughout the microrods. The present 1D nanostructure would be highly suited for photocatalytic water purification as well as water splitting devices. Finally, this facile and room temperature strategy to fabricate the nanostructures is very cost-effective.
Highlights
G-C3N4 is severely restricted by a low electronic conductivity, a high rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and a low surface area
The bulk graphitic carbon nitride (BCN) powder used in this research was synthesized via the thermal condensation of melamine at 520 °C in air
Numerous interconnected pores were generated throughout the microrods, forming a nanoporous structure. Residues produced during this process could have blocked some pores (Figure S1), these blocked pores seem to have been opened during sintering at 500 °C for 1 h in air to form the crystalline g-C3N4 structure
Summary
G-C3N4 is severely restricted by a low electronic conductivity, a high rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and a low surface area. Various approaches have been explored and adopted to overcome these problems, such as the fabrication of heterojunctions, sensitization with metal nanoparticles, doping with metallic and non-metallic elements, variation in C and N percentages, delamination of the layered structure, and control of the morphology[20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29] Among these proposed strategies, increasing the number of active sites and speeding up the transport of charge carriers via controlling the morphology, are considered to be the easiest paths to enhance photocatalytic performance. The short diffusion length for the electrons and ions of the electrolyte and the high aspect ratio (length:diameter) increase the optical absorbance because of the more extensive interaction with light and greater surface area compared with the bulk structure[30,31,32] These desirable properties of 1D nanostructures make them suited to photocatalysis applications. The present 1D nanostructures synthesized via top-down strategy may be a revolutionary cost-efficient route to efficient photocatalytic water splitting and degradation of a wide range of water contaminants
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