Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-C₃N₄) Modified Carbon Electrodes for Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems

Abstract

In this work, commercial porous carbon electrodes viz., Graphite Felt (GF), Carbon Felt (CF), and Carbon Cloth (CC) were modified by graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). In the process, g-C3N4 was in situ synthesized via thermal condensation of melamine over carbon electrodes. The structure, morphology, composition and electrochemical properties of the carbon electrodes were analysed. Electrochemical investigation revealed improved performance for g-C3N4 modified electrodes as decreased overpotentials in water splitting configuration. The electrochemical active area evaluation allows to attribute the enhanced performance to catalytic activity of g-C3N4 on carbon electrodes rather than increased surface-to-volume ratio. Overall, in situ synthesized g-C3N4 is proved to be a promising material for tuning the electrochemical activity of the porous carbon electrodes through an easy and potentially scalable process towards electrochemical energy storage systems.