Incorporating of Ni with Ultra-Thin Porous g-C3N4 for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Abstract

Energy and environmental crises are main current threatening issues for living. Multiple sophisticated and advanced strategies are implementing to addressed this problem to maintain energy crises and environmental sustainability. Green and sustainable energy have a possible solution by employing semiconductor photocatalytic technology. Graphitic carbon nitride g-C₃N₄ (GCN), with moderated band gap is potential candidate for energy and environmental remediation. GCN in bulk and thin with nickel doping is synthesized for contamination degradation.  Initially pure GCN-Bulk is synthesized, then thin and different pH levels are used, moreover nickel element is doped with GCN for higher photocatalytic activity. The GCN-Bulk shown with lower photo generating electron holes pairs.  GCN-1 and GCN-4 have higher pH from 1 to 4 lies in the acidic range have less degradation for MB (positively charged dye), because acid have the net positive charge. The nickel doped GCN has intermediate catalytic activity. GCN-T shown higher catalytic activity due to higher photogenerated electron holes pairs irradiated by visible light.  In addition, it may aid in the separation and migration of charge carriers.  The synthesized trials are further investigated employing different characterization techniques. To further understand the synthesized materials, various characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV-visible analysis, and photo-catalysis characterizations are employed in the investigation of the samples.