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Synthesis of mesoporous polymeric carbon nitride exhibiting enhanced and durable visible light photocatalytic performance

  • Article
  • Environmental Science & Technology
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

A thiourea precursor was employed to synthesize mesoporous carbon nitride (C3N4) by a thermal polycondensation process with high surface area SiO2 and nanosphere SiO2 as two types of hard templates. The resultant mesoporous C3N4 samples have high surface areas (105–112 m2/g) and mesopores with narrow sizes distribution (9.3 nm). Photocatalytic performance was evaluated by removal of NO in air under visible light irradiation. The results showed that mesoporous C3N4 samples exhibited significantly improved photocatalytic activity in comparison with bulk C3N4, which also exceeded that of N-doped TiO2 and C-doped TiO2. The activity enhancement can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of large surface area and pore volume, enhanced light-harvesting ability, increased redox potential, and reduced recombination of charge carriers. In addition to the high activity, the mesoporous C3N4 samples also showed high photochemical stability. The mesoporous C3N4 photocatalysts with enhanced and durable activity could provide a new efficient material for environmental pollution control.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51108487), the Natural Science Foundation Project of CQ CSTC (cstc2013jcyjA20018), the Science and Technology Project from Chongqing Education Commission (KJ130725), the Innovative Research Team Development Program in University of Chongqing (KJTD201314), and the Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Green Catalysis of Sichuan Institutes of Higher Education (LZJ1204).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chongqing Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Functional Organic Molecules, College of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, 400067, China

    Fan Dong, Yuhan Li, Haidong Zhang & Min Fu

  2. Department of Science and Environmental Studies, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, China

    Wingkei Ho

  3. Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Zhongbiao Wu

Authors
  1. Fan Dong
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  2. Yuhan Li
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  3. Wingkei Ho
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  4. Haidong Zhang
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  5. Min Fu
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  6. Zhongbiao Wu
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Fan Dong or Zhongbiao Wu.

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Dong, F., Li, Y., Ho, W. et al. Synthesis of mesoporous polymeric carbon nitride exhibiting enhanced and durable visible light photocatalytic performance. Chin. Sci. Bull. 59, 688–698 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-013-0095-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-013-0095-3

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