Sulfur and chloride co-doped g-C3N4 in photocatalytic peroxymonosulfate activation for enhanced acetaminophen removal: Combination of experiments and DFT calculations

Abstract

As a green photocatalyst with simple synthesis method, excellent electronic structure, and metal-free properties, the deficiencies of pristine graphitic carbon nitride, such as high electron transfer resistance and narrow energy band gap, inhibit its photocatalytic activity to some extent. In this paper, we synthesized a sulfur and chlorine co-doped g-C3N4 (SCl-CN) capable of efficient photocatalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) by calcining a mixture of ammonium chloride and thiourea. By means of DFT calculation, the contribution of sulfur and chlorine to photogenic electron hole separation was discussed. The electrostatic potential of SCl-CN and the adsorption model between SCl-CN and PMS were deduced, and the activation mechanism of PMS was further analyzed. According to the calculated results, the incorporation of sulfur and chlorine tuned the electronic configuration of the material and intensified the interactions between SCl-CN and PMS. It is shown that free and non-free radicals act simultaneously in the SCl-CN/PMS/Vis system. This study provides a new idea for the study of photocatalytic activation of PMS by non-metallic co-doped carbon nitride.