Ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets: synthesis, properties, and photocatalytic application

Abstract

In recent years graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been considered the most popular candidate for replacing graphene and other similar materials in various applications. The g-C3N4 has unique electronic and mechanical properties, huge photoluminescence in the wide optical region, and promising properties in energy conversion and storage, water splitting, etc. Here we show a simple method of bulk g-C3N4 (BCN) synthesis using thermal polymerization of melamine and ultrathin 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets (NCN) prepared by ultrasonic exfoliation of BCN in water. The g-C3N4 samples were tested with XRD, FTIR, Raman, luminescence spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption at 77 K. We characterize its photocatalytic properties in H2 evolution by direct water splitting. We utilize the low-cost 10 W white LEDs photoreactor with visible light and flow conditions. In the water-splitting reaction, we found that the NCN were about 5 times more reactive than the primary BCN sample.