Effect of precursor on physical properties and photocatalytic activity of 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets

Abstract

2-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has specific properties that makes it a desirable candidate for extensive applications. This work provides a systematic study for choosing precursors to prepare g-C3N4 with tailored characteristics. g-C3N4 samples have been prepared by thermal decomposition of different precursors (i.e., melamine, urea, and thiourea). Various characterization techniques such as SEM, EDS, XRD, DRS, BET, and FTIR have been used to determine the physical properties of the prepared samples. SEM analysis showed nanoflake and nanosheet structures with no elemental impurity in EDS analysis. Furthermore, FTIR analysis confirmed the formation of graphitic carbon nitride structure. BET results showed a significant enhancement of specific surface area by a factor of 2.8 for the sample prepared with urea precursor. The photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation is also presented. The results revealed that urea-based g-C3N4 could be a promising candidate for photocatalytic applications due to its appropriate physical properties and highest dye removal.

Keywords

• graphitic carbon nitride
• photocatalyst
• rhb dye degradation
• different precursor