Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g‐C₃N₄) Nanosheets as a Multipurpose Material for Detection of Amines and Solar‐Driven Hydrogen Production

Abstract

Graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets decorated by multiple functional groups (denoted as CN−KNa) were as a multipurpose material, both in photocatalytic applications and as a photo‐induced indicator. The presented g‐C3N4 is fabricated via a facile alkali‐salt‐assisted calcination method. The structural analysis reveals significant changes in the structure of the host CN−KNa nanosheets associated with the existence of multiple functional groups (for example, hydroxy, carbonyl, and cyano groups). Such modifications lead to enhanced light absorption and charge separation, resulting in an efficient photocatalyst not only for solar‐driven hydrogen production but also for primary amine detection in aqueous solution. Thus, the solar light driven photocatalytic hydrogen evolution yield using the synthesized CN−KNa sample is found to be 50.3 μmol h−1, which is approximately 14 times higher than that of bulk g‐C3N4. More importantly, this functional‐group‐decorated CN−KNa facilitated electron transportation between CN−KNa and amine compounds, causing a colour change in the solution mixture, which has been observed for the first time. This novel observation indicates that CN−KNa can be considered a new class of photo‐induced indicator agent to detect primary amine compounds in aqueous solution.

Synthesis and characterization of CuO@S-doped g-C3N4 based nanocomposites for binder-free sensor applications

“…54,55 This overall analysis is in line with previous reports. 19,40,[51][52][53] Cu 2p, 3s and 3p peaks were clearly detected for the CuO@Sdoped g-C 3 N 4 NC and pure CuO samples in Fig. 9c and d.…”

“…Highresolution XPS for C 1s, N 1s, O 1s and S 2p are presented in the SI. The N 1s peak around 397.2 eV was attributed to deprotonated N atoms of C]N-C bonds, 51,52 whereas the peak around 398 eV was assigned to the C]N-C bonds of the melon structure of the graphitic carbon nitride. 51,52 In the XPS spectra of S-doped g-C 3 N 4 for S 2p (Fig.…”

“…The N 1s peak around 397.2 eV was attributed to deprotonated N atoms of C]N-C bonds, 51,52 whereas the peak around 398 eV was assigned to the C]N-C bonds of the melon structure of the graphitic carbon nitride. 51,52 In the XPS spectra of S-doped g-C 3 N 4 for S 2p (Fig. S1f †), a peak located around 164.2 eV was assigned to C-S. 40,53 The peak around 283.7 eV in the C 1s spectrum (Fig.…”

Materials design of edge-modified polymeric carbon nitride nanoribbons for the photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction

“…[7][8][9] Currently, there are many photocatalytic materials receiving widespread attention, such as TiO 2 , ZnO, WO 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , MOS 2 , CdS, MOFs, COFs, carbon nitrides (CNs) etc. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Compared to traditional photocatalysts, CNs have become a new research hotspot due to their metal-free nature, low cost, easy preparation, visible light excitation and relatively narrow band gap. However, the widespread -NH/NH 2 provide transport channels for electrons and holes along their p-p conjugated polymer backbone, which leads to easy recombination of photogenerated carriers and low photocatalytic efficiency.…”

Photocatalytic Degradation of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics in Solution

“…Additionally, the two-dimensional structure of GO greatly improves the interaction with organic pollutants, accelerating the subsequent photocatalytic degradation [30]. Graphitic carbon nitride (gC3N4) [31], is an allotropic material of carbon nitride, rich in nitrogen, and with truly extraordinary properties that allow its use in different applications such as catalysis, photodegradation of organic pollutants, CO2 fixation, catalysis and even in energy storage systems [32][33][34]. Among the most relevant properties, it is worth highlighting its great thermal and chemical stability, a two-dimensional structure capable of facilitating interaction with other materials, and its simple synthesis method [34].…”