Synthesis of two-dimensional mesoporous carbon nitride under different carbonization temperatures and investigation of its catalytic properties in Knoevenagel condensations

Abstract

A two-dimensional mesoporous carbon nitride (MCN-1) material with tunable surface area, pore volume and nitrogen content has been synthesized by using carbon tetrachloride and ethylenediamine as precursors and SBA-15 as a template. The effect of the carbonization temperature on the textural properties, N content and the types of nitrogen species of the MCN-1 samples was also investigated by several characterization techniques. The results reveal that the higher temperature favors the formation of porous structure during the thermal condensation process. In addition, the nitrogen content and the surface N/C ratio in the samples monotonically decrease with the increase of carbonization temperature. The catalytic activity of MCN-1-T is not only related to its surface nitrogen content but also dependent on the structural diversities of the surface nitrogen species. The MCN-1 sample synthesized at 400 °C shows the higher catalytic activity and stability for Knoevenagel condensations.