In situ bubble template promoted facile preparation of porous g-C3N4 with excellent visible-light photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Porous graphitic carbon nitride (pg-C₃N₄) was facilely and economically prepared through in situ bubble templates such as (NH₄)₂S₂O₈, and the surface area of the resultant pg-C₃N₄ was controlled from 6.4 to 55.0 m² g⁻¹ by adjusting the mass ratio of (NH₄)₂S₂O₈/melamine. Moreover, pg-C₃N₄ was also obtained by other gas-generating porogens of ammonium salts, displaying the generality of the preparation method. The as-prepared g-C₃N₄ presented a porous structure with a higher surface area and displayed an improved separation efficiency for photogenerated electron–hole pairs. These integrative positive factors contributed to pg-C₃N₄ possessing more excellent photocatalytic activity for degrading Rhodamine B and phenol pollutants, and splitting water to H₂ than bulk g-C₃N₄ under visible-light. Moreover, the as-prepared pg-C₃N₄ exhibited unexceptionable stability and reusability even after four photocatalytic runs. The simple, economical and general fabrication strategy with bubble-generated porogen agents for porous graphitic carbon nitride with superior visible-light photocatalytic performance is attractive for environmental and energy application fields.