Self-assembled one-dimensional carbon nitride architectures

Three kinds of assembled one-dimensional carbon nitride architectures were realized in large scale by a simple solvothermal technique. Carbon nitride nanotube bundles were formed involving the reaction of cyanuric chloride (C3N3Cl3) with sodium at 230 °C and 1.8 MPa in a stainless steel autoclave using NiCl2 as a catalyst precursor. Without any catalyst, aligned nanoribbons were formed at 290 °C and 3 MPa, and microspheres consisting of hundreds of nanoribbons were formed at 260 °C and 3.5–4.5 MPa. The electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) proved all these 1-D carbon nitride nanostructures are consistent with the stoichiometry of CN. The similarity and difference of their microstructures and optical properties were researched by FTIR, Raman, PL measurements and UV–vis absorption spectra. These assembled CN architectures with well-controlled dimensionality and luminescent property may have potential uses as component of optical nanoscale devices. Their formation mechanisms were briefly discussed.