The novel synthesis of a continuous tube with laminated g-C3N4 nanosheets for enhancing photocatalytic activity and oxygen evolution reaction performance

Abstract

Novel tubular graphitic carbon nitride has been successfully prepared via electrospinning technology, high temperature calcination technology, a vapor deposition reaction method and the method of acid removal, and in this process, Al₂O₃ fibers used as a template can help achieve the controllable preparation of GCNTs. Structural characterization results reveal that the as-prepared sample has the same composition as bulk graphitic carbon nitride and verify the well-defined tubular morphology of the graphitic carbon nitride tubes, which have a diameter of about 270 nm and a wall thickness of 30 nm. With regard to the photocatalytic activity of the sample, the degradation of organic dyes under visible light irradiation was carried out and cycling experiments were conducted, and the results indicated that the prepared sample has visible light catalytic activity and great stability. The specific tubular structure of graphitic carbon nitride will provide more active sites and higher reaction efficiency with potential application to waste treatment. When applied as an electrocatalyst in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), GCNTs deliver a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² at an overpotential of 360 mV with a Tafel slope of only 40 mV dec⁻¹, and demonstrate excellent long term durability.