Preparation of carbon self-doped g-C3N4 for efficiently degradation of bisphenol A under visible light irradiation

Abstract In this study, visible-light-driven carbon self-doped graphitic carbon nitride (C-doped g-C3N4) photocatalyst was fabricated by a facile method with urea and ammonium citrate and used for photodegradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous environment. These experimental data showed that the prepared C-doped g-C3N4 showed high catalytic activity, and its photocatalytic degradation rate constant and mineralization rate of BPA were about 6.7 and 3.5 times higher than that of the pristine g-C3N4, respectively. The prepared modified g-C3N4 introduced additional carbon atoms, which generated C-O-C bonds with C in the g-C3N4 lattice. In contrast to g-C3N4, carbon doping enhanced the visible light absorption range of C-doped g-C3N4, reduced its band gap, and improved the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Reactive species, among which are superoxide radicals (·O2−) and photogenerated holes (h+) acted as an important part to the high photodegradation activity under visible light irradiation, which was revealed by radical quenching experiment and ESR results. This work puts forward a one-pot strategy for the preparation of C-doped g-C3N4, displacing the high-energy consuming and complicated preparation technology with a promising industrial applications.