Issue 5, 2022

Photocatalysis by graphitic carbon nitride modified with 0D, 1D, and 2D carbon-based nanomaterials

Abstract

Despite great interest in modifying graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs) towards photocatalysis, no study has systematically evaluated the efficacy of 0–2D CBNs. This work examined the photocatalysis of bisphenol A and tetracycline (BPA and TC) by g-C3N4 modified with 0D C60, 1D single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs and MWCNTs), and 2D graphene oxide. Notably, the relative efficacy of g-C3N4/CBNs in photocatalysis can be readily tuned with CBN loading contents. g-C3N4 modified with SWCNTs (g-C3N4/SWCNT) usually exhibited superior photoreactivity with the only exception for 0.05% CBN loading where g-C3N4/MWCNT was the most photoactive. g-C3N4/C60 showed the least photoreactivity. The photocatalyst's surface areas, light absorption, electrical resistance, and tendency of electron–hole recombination altogether can largely explain the observed photoreactivity. Superoxide was the primary radical responsible for the photocatalysis of BPA and TC. The result indicates that both CBN types and loading amounts are influential factors in the synthesis of highly reactive g-C3N4 modified with 0-2D CBNs, whose relative efficacy can be readily tuned with CBN loading.

Graphical abstract: Photocatalysis by graphitic carbon nitride modified with 0D, 1D, and 2D carbon-based nanomaterials

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Mar 2022
Accepted
30 Mar 2022
First published
31 Mar 2022

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2022,9, 1879-1887

Photocatalysis by graphitic carbon nitride modified with 0D, 1D, and 2D carbon-based nanomaterials

B. Wang, D. K. Wang and W. Hou, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2022, 9, 1879 DOI: 10.1039/D2EN00206J

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