One-Pot Fabrication of Perforated Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets Decorated with Copper Oxide by Controlled Ammonia and Sulfur Trioxide Release for Enhanced Catalytic Activity

Abstract

In this article, we have judiciously interfaced copper oxides with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) from thermal reaction of melamine and copper sulfate in a one-pot protocol and manipulated the perforated sheet morphology thereafter. The CCN- X ( X = 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70, depending on the wt % of CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O) nanocomposites were prepared by homogenously mixing different percentages of CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O with melamine from a solid-state thermal reaction in a furnace in air. Drastic lowering of CuSO 4 decomposition temperature due to Cu(II)–amine complex formation and subsequent reduction of Cu(II) species by in situ produced ammonia (NH 3 ) resulted in the production of CuO and catalytic amount of Cu 2 O, homogeneously dispersed within the perforated g-C 3 N 4 nanosheet. How perforated sheet morphology evolved by combined effect of NH 3 , released from thermal condensation of melamine ensuring two-dimensional (2D) growth, and sulfur trioxide (SO 3 ), expelled from CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O facilitating the perforation, yielding better catalytic performance, has been elucidated. Excess NH 3 from added NH 4 Cl removed perforation and ensued a marked decrease in efficacy. However, a high proportion of CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O ruptured the framework of 2D sheets because of excess SO 3 evolution. Among the different nanocomposites synthesized, CCN-40 (CuO–Cu 2 O/g-C 3 N 4 ) showed the highest catalytic activity for 4-nitrophenol reduction. Thus, enhanced efficiency of the copper oxide catalyst by interfacing it with an otherwise inactive g-C 3 N 4 platform was achieved.

Thermal stability of polymeric carbon nitride (PCN)-Al2O3–ZrO2 nanocomposites used in photocatalysis

“…All presented results refer to PCNnanocomposite thermal decomposition. Figure 3a shows thermal behavior (DSC-TG) of pure melamine which fully decomposes at approximately 350 °C, which is in agreement with literature [6,15,16]. Figure 3b shows thermal behavior for sample of pure AlOOH-20 mass% ZrO 2 and transformation of AlOOH to Al 2 O 3 .…”

Fabrication of tailored rod-shaped carbon nitride, g-C3N4, decorated with MoSe2 flowers for the catalytic reduction of nitrophenol, organic dye degradation and biocompatibility studies

“…35 The second loss of weight in the range of 298–430 °C could be attributed to the loss of gases, such as NH 3 , H 2 O, and NO and presence of melem in the structure. 52,53 The loss of such gases induces the incomplete polymerization of b-CN and promotes the formation of a rod-shaped structure. 54…”

“…The extended conjugation results in the bright yellow color nitrophenolate anion that behaves as an oxidant and BH 4 − as a reductant. 20,52 At first, a control experiment was performed in the absence of any catalyst. There is no peak alteration observed at 400 nm and therefore no conversion of 4-NP to 4-AP occurs in the absence of CNM catalyst as shown in Fig.…”

Surface Modification of Bacterial Cellulose for Biomedical Applications

“…(4) Carbon based materials like carbon nanotube, graphene, etc., have been frequently utilized to make composites with BC. These composites possess good conductivity and mechanical strength and is frequently used in electronics and biosensors [ 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 ].…”