Amoxicillin photodegradation under visible light catalyzed by metal-free carbon nitride: An investigation of the influence of the structural defects

[Display omitted] •Use of different precursors in the metal-free polymeric carbon nitrides (PCNs) synthesis to control structural defects.•Amoxicillin photodegradation under visible light catalyzed by metal-free PCNs.•Investigation of the influence of the structural defects on PCNs amoxicillin photo...

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Published in:Journal of hazardous materials 2021-01, Vol.401, p.123713-123713, Article 123713
Main Authors: Silva, Ingrid F., Teixeira, Ivo F., Rios, Regiane D.F., do Nascimento, Gustavo M., Binatti, Ildefonso, Victória, Henrique F.V., Krambrock, Klaus, Cury, Luiz A., Teixeira, Ana Paula C., Stumpf, Humberto O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amoxicillin
Carbon nitrides
Catalysis
Graphite
Light
Metal-free
Nitriles
Photocatalysis
Photolysis
Visible region
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Use of different precursors in the metal-free polymeric carbon nitrides (PCNs) synthesis to control structural defects.•Amoxicillin photodegradation under visible light catalyzed by metal-free PCNs.•Investigation of the influence of the structural defects on PCNs amoxicillin photodegradation.•More defective PCNs are more active on amoxicillin photodegradation.•Low-cost and metal-free PCNs potential photocatalysts to industrial applications using solar light. Herein, the structural defects of metal-free polymeric carbon nitrides were controlled by making use of different precursors in their syntheses, i.e. melamine (CN-M) and thiourea (CN-T), as well as a 1:1 mixture of them (CN-1M:1 T). By controlling the structural defects, the electronic, morphological and chemical properties were modified. Additionally, the activities of synthesized PCNs were evaluated for amoxicillin photodegradation under visible light irradiation (16 mW cm–2). The results of photocatalytic tests showed that CN-T material has better efficiency (100 % removal within 48 h), which is directly related to the greater number of defects present in its structure with consequent improvement of electron-hole pairs separation efficiency. The CN-T material showed excellent stability with only 13 % decrease in its photocatalytic activity after the third cycle. A mechanism for amoxicillin degradation by CN-T was proposed based on the ESI-MS and the in situ EPR allied with spin trapping method investigations.
ISSN:0304-3894
1873-3336
DOI:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123713