Short communicationCatalytic oxidation of NO by g-C3N4-assisted electrospun porous carbon nanofibers at room temperature: Structure-activity relationship and mechanism study

•Carbon nanofibers (PCNFs) decorated with g-C3N4 was prepared by electrospinning.•The modified sample has a conversion of 47.6%, which is much higher than that of PCNFs (23.6%).•The physicolchemical changes are favorable for the improvement of the catalytic performance.•NO will adsorb on the sample to form nitrites followed by the formation of NO2 and nitrates.

Here we prepared a novel PAN-based carbon nanofibers (PCNFs) by electrospinning using g-C3N4 as a sacrificial template for oxidizing NO to NO2 at room temperature. The results show that g-C3N4 modified PCNFs can reach a steady conversion of 47.6%, which is much higher than that of PCNFs (23.6%). It is proposed that the g-C3N4 induces some physicolchemical changes that can be responsible for the excellent catalytic performance.

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