A facile synthesis of coral tubular g-C3N4 for photocatalytic degradation RhB and CO2 reduction

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2023-11, Vol.965, p.171432, Article 171432
• Main Authors: Jia, Yicong, Tong, Xuan, Zhang, Jiazhen, Zhang, Ren, Yang, Yue, Zhang, Le, Ji, Xu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: G-C3N4; Photocatalytic CO2 reduction; Photocatalytic degradation; Tubular structure
• ISSN: 0925-8388
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.171432

Photocatalysis is an ecofriendly technique that emerged as a promising alternative for solar-to-clean energy conversion and pollutant degradation. Such g-C3N4 have demonstrated chemical stability and proper band position but with low specific surface area, limited light absorption, and easy recombination of photo-generated carriers. In this paper, we report on the successful synthesis of coral tubular g-C3N4 photocatalyst using a supramolecular-based approach. Among the as-synthesized samples, M1C2 (melamine-to-cyanuric acid molar ratio of 1:2) exhibited the best photocatalytic performance. The apparent rate constant of RhB degradation was 1.53 times greater than that of M1C0 (pure melamine), and the yield of CO is about 3 times higher than that of M1C0 during CO2 reduction. The formation of tubular structures increased the specific surface area and reduced the recombination efficiency of electron-hole pairs. Moreover, the position of the conduction band became more negative, generating more radicals that accelerated the process of photocatalysis. This work offered a practical and achievable approach to creating superior g-C3N4 and facilitating its application in diverse fields. [Display omitted] •The amount of cyanuric acid has an obvious effect on the morphology of g-C3N4.•Coral tubular g-C3N4 (M1C2) photocatalyst is synthesized.•M1C2 exhibits superior photocatalytic activity and stability in the experiments.•Possible mechanism based on M1C2 in the photocatalytic process is proposed.