Characterization of urea derived polymeric carbon nitride and resultant thermally vacuum deposited amorphous thin films: Structural, chemical and photophysical properties

Polymeric carbon nitride (p-CN) was produced using a two-step thermal treatment process of urea without tailoring the reaction pressure and atmosphere. A systematic analytical analysis employing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed for structural and chemical characterization of p-CN. Thermal vacuum deposition of thin films (C3N) from p-CN powder was performed, followed by characterization of corresponding structural, chemical and photophysical properties. The atomic force microscopy analysis of these films revealed sheet-like structural fragments distributed along the surface. The C3N thin films were found to be amorphous as determined from XRD. It was demonstrated that C3N can be used as a functional layer for optoelectronic devices.