Nanosheets of graphitic carbon nitride as metal-free environmental photocatalysts

Abstract

Nanosheets of graphitic carbon nitride were prepared through direct heat treatment of guanidinium chloride at 450–600 °C in air. The resultant materials had a surface area of 109.9 m² g⁻¹ and their physicochemical properties were closely related to the condensation temperature. Decomposition of rhodamine (RhB) in aqueous solution was selected as the model reaction to investigate the photocatalytic performance of nanostructured graphitic carbon nitride. The sample with higher surface area exhibited better optical properties and had enhanced photocatalytic activity. These findings suggest that graphitic carbon nitride prepared from guanidinium chloride will be promising for use in pollutants degradation and solar energy utilization.