Assessing copolymerisation and exfoliation synergistic effects of graphitic carbon nitride in simulated sunlight photocatalysis

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2025

Authors

André Torres-Pinto (Author) FEUP; María del Pilar Fernández-Poyatos (Author) Other; Inmaculada Velo-Gala (Author) Other; Miguel Ángel Álvarez-Merino (Author) Other; María Victoria López-Ramón (Author) Other; Eliana S. Da Silva (Author) Other; Claudia G Silva (Author) FEUP; Joaquim Luís Faria (Author) FEUP; Silva, Adrian (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Chemical Engineering Science

Vol. 305

ISSN: 0009-2509

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

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Associated Projects

DRopH2O - Qualidade da água de consumo: alerta precoce e remoção de microcontaminantes por materiais inovadores à base de carbono

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-017-VG1

DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2025.121204

Abstract (EN): Graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) photocatalysts were synthesised by copolymerisation of dicyandiamide precursor and different barbituric acid (BA) shares, followed by thermal exfoliation. The morphological, textural, structural, photo- and electrochemical properties of the obtained materials were studied to identify the effect of BA on the material exfoliation. Moreover, its influence on photocatalytic efficiency was investigated by the degradation of a model contaminant (rhodamine B - RhB) under simulated solar irradiation. The results indicated that incorporating carbonyl-based networks of BA into the aromatic moieties of the gCN structure contributed to a higher degree of exfoliation. Furthermore, this endowed the copolymerised materials with a larger surface area since there was a more disordered nanosheet formation and increased porosity. The best-performing catalyst was the 1.6 wt% BA-modified material, owing to the higher density of nitrogen vacancies detected in the exfoliated gCN material. This density of vacancies yielded a larger quantity of active sites at gCN sheet edges, a more rapid electronic transfer and inhibited photo-induced electron/hole pairs recombination. The newly integrated electronic properties, induced by the copolymerisation synthesis with 1.6 wt% of BA, improved the photocatalytic degradation of the RhB by direct oxidation with photogenerated positive holes and more abundant oxy-radicals. The presence of the BA copolymer during gCN synthesis also permitted, after thermal exfoliation, exceptionally lower energy mid-gap positions to occur, which is highly beneficial for an accelerated oxidation mechanism.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 14