Constructing efficient solar light photocatalytic system with Ag-introduced carbon nitride for organic pollutant elimination

- Ag-introduced CN was designed to photocatalytically eliminate organic pollutant.
- Weakening planar H bonding of CN can be achieved by Ag introduction.
- Ag introduction improved electronic structures and O2-adsorption state of CN.
- AgCN presented remarkable activity for eliminating organic pollutant.
- The remarkable activity of AgCN was explored experimentally and theoretically.

Owing to the unique electronic and optical properties, carbon nitride (CN) materials have attracted widespread interest for photocatalytic application in the field of environment and energy. However, low carrier mobility and insufficient sunlight absorption limit the efficient application, which is attributed to the planar hydrogen bonding between strands of polymeric melon units with NH/NH2. Herein, Ag-introduced CN (AgCN) samples were designed as photocatalysts by introducing Ag into CN to weaken the planar hydrogen bonding for photocatalytically eliminating methyl orange pollutant. Spectroscopy, electrochemistry and computational studies revealed that AgCN photocatalyts presented a significantly enhanced sunlight absorption, efficient carrier mobility as well as improved O2 adsorption state. As a result, photoreactivity for methyl orange photooxidation elimination over AgCN was significantly enhanced, with apparent rate of 0.13 min−1 for optimal AgCN-4 under visible-light irradiation, which was 6.50, 8.13, 2.60, and 4.33 times that of Bi2WO6, BiOCl, Ag/CN, and Ag2CO3, respectively. The result supplied an efficient approach for constructing effective visible-light-irradiation photocatalysts for environmental purification.

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