A Unique Pipe-Like C3N4 with Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutant

Abstract

Morphology tuning is one of the innovative technique to overcome challenges of a pristine graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) as a photocatalyst. In this study, a facile, environmentally friendly and scalable approach was employed to fabricate a novel Pipe-like C₃N₄ by treating Dicyandiamide (DCDA) with ethylene glycol and nitric acid. The unique structural morphology of the sample fabricated possess critical advantages for enhanced visible light harvesting, efficient charge separation and large surface area with more reactive sites. These properties enhanced the Pipe-like C₃N₄ to exhibit a superior complete photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) within 30 min under visible light (λ > 420 nm) compared to the bulk C3N4. In addition, the Pipe-like C₃N₄ possess a good photostability and efficiency (96%) and has a potential application in other fields such as photoelectrochemistry, electrocatalysis and optoelectronic devices.