Graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets: one-step, high-yield synthesis and application for Cu2+ detection

In this article we report on the one-step, rapid, high-yield synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets for the first time. The nanosheets were obtained by pyrolyzing a melamine-KBH4 mixture under Ar. As a fluorosensor for Cu(2+), the g-C3N4 nanosheets exhibit a detection limit as low as 0.5 nM and high selectivity in buffer solutions, and this sensor was applied to the analysis of lake water samples. The electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) behavior of the g-C3N4 nanosheets using Na2S2O8 as the coreactant was also studied. Results suggest that the ECL intensity of the g-C3N4 nanosheets was linear over concentrations of 0-45 nM, with a detection limit of 1.2 nM for Cu(2+).