Efficient visible light driven degradation of antibiotic pollutants by oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride via the homogeneous supramolecular assembly of urea.

Graphitic carbon nitride (CN), as a non-metal material, has emerged as a promising photocatalyst to address environmental issues with the favorable band gap and chemical stability. The porous oxygen-doped CN nanosheets (CNO) were synthesized by an ecofriendly and efficient self-assembled approach using a sole urea as the precursor. The CNO photocatalysts were derived from the hydrogen-bonded cyanuric acid-urea supramolecular complex, which were obtained by pretreatment of urea at high temperature and pressure.

Well-designed oxidized Sb/g-CN 2D/2D nanosheets heterojunction with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic disinfection activity.

2D/2D heterojunction photocatalysts with excellent photocatalytic activity highlight considerable potential in water disinfection. Here, an oxidized Sb/g-CN 2D/2D nanosheets heterojunction (Sb-SbO/CNS) was constructed based on a facile one-step liquid-phase exfoliation method using concentrated sulfuric acid. By doing so, bulk Sb and g-CN were exfoliated simultaneously and then, intercalated each other.

Electrocatalytic performance of Sb-modified BiFeO for nitrogen fixation.

The Haber-Bosch N fixation method suffers from the power-consuming and harsh conditions. In contrast, the electrochemical conversion of N (NRR) at room temperature and atmospheric pressure is considered a promising alternative route. In this study, we synthesized Sb-modified with BiFeO (BFSO/BFO) by using one-step hydrothermal treatment.

Metal-free 2D/2D heterojunction of covalent triazine-based frameworks/graphitic carbon nitride with enhanced interfacial charge separation for highly efficient photocatalytic elimination of antibiotic pollutants.

A novel polymer-based 2D/2D heterojunction photocatalysts of covalent triazine-based frameworks/graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (CTFNS/CNNS) heterojunction are successfully obtained by an electrostatic self-assembly method using amine-functionalized CNNS and carboxyl-rich CTFNS. Such large contact surface and appropriate interfacial contact between CNNS and CTFNS plays a critical role in transfer and separation of charge-carriers. The resulting CTFNS/CNNS heterojunction showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity under the irradiation of simulated solar light, which could decompose 10 ppm sulfamethazine (SMT) within 180 min with a high degradation efficiency of 95.

Preparation of nitrogen-containing carbon using a one-step thermal polymerization method for activation of peroxymonosulfate to degrade bisphenol A.

Nitrogen-containing carbon materials (NCC-x) are promising metal-free catalysts for activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to treat with aqueous organic pollutants. In this study, NCC-x were synthesized via a facile thermal polymerization method using urea and terephthalaldehyde as precursors. This method was derived from the polymerization method of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) and the reaction between the precursors was based on Schiff base chemistry.

Enhanced photocatalytic disinfection of Escherichia coli K-12 by porous g-CN nanosheets: Combined effect of photo-generated and intracellular ROSs.

The porous graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (PCNSs) with high yields were synthesized by using one-step chemical exfoliation method. PCNSs accelerated separation efficiency of photo-generated electron-hole pairs in comparison to bulk graphitic carbon nitride. The PCNS5 (exfoliation for 5 h) exhibited optimal photocatalytic disinfection capability towards Escherichia coli K-12 under simulated solar light irradiation with complete disinfection of 6.

Graphitic carbon nitride grown in situ on aldehyde-functionalized α-FeO: All-solid-state Z-scheme heterojunction for remarkable improvement of photo-oxidation activity.

Aldehyde-functionalized α-FeO/graphitic carbon nitride (α-FeO-DBD/g-CN) was successfully synthesized through Schiff-based reaction between aromatic aldehydes in 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and NH groups in urea. The 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde around α-FeO were advantageous to in situ growth of graphitic carbon nitride on α-FeO to form the contact interface by chemical bonds and beneficial to the electron transfer, leading to the formation of Z-scheme photocatalytic system. The α-FeO-DBD/g-CN photocatalysts exhibited a remarkable improvement in the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) compared with bulk g-CN.

Construction of Acetaldehyde-Modified g-CN Ultrathin Nanosheets via Ethylene Glycol-Assisted Liquid Exfoliation for Selective Fluorescence Sensing of Ag.

We successfully prepared acetaldehyde-modified graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) ultrathin nanosheets (ACNNSs) by a simple ethylene glycol-assisted liquid exfoliation method. The introduction of acetaldehyde regulated the surface energy of g-CN to better match with that of water, which improved the exfoliation efficiency. Moreover, acetaldehyde introduces defects into the g-CN structure, which can act as excitation energy traps and cause considerable variation in the fluorescence emission.

Macroscopic urea-functionalized cadmium sulfide material with high visible-light photocatalytic activity for rewritable paper application.

A macroscopic urea-functionalized CdS (CdS-U) is synthesized for the first time. The CdS-U material is formed through the interaction between NH/NH groups on urea and COO groups on sodium oleate-capped CdS nanoparticles (CdS-So NPs). The CdS-U material exhibites excellent visible light photocatalytic activity and plasticity and has the potential to be produced as rewritable papers.

Modeling of self-assembled GeSi nano-dots and corresponding admittance spectroscopy.

We examine two techniques to determine experimentally and theoretically the strength of quantum confinement in SiGe nano-dots. A simple theory for admittance spectroscopy in a quantum dot is developed in conjunction with our experiments and experimental findings. Using a mass-balance equation approach based on the Boltzmann equation in which the hole-phonon interaction in a SiGe nano-dot is considered, we can successfully reproduce those observed experimentally in the admittance spectroscopy measurements.