Porous g-C₃N₄ with defects for the efficient dye photodegradation under visible light

Porous graphitic carbon nitride (p-C₃N₄) was fabricated via simple pyrolyzing treatment of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄). The defects could be introduced into the structure of g-C₃N₄ by breakage of some bonds, which was beneficial for the generation of electron-hole pairs and inhibiting their recombination. Compared with g-C₃N₄, p-C₃N₄ showed a narrow band gap to promote the utilization of visible light. Furthermore, the porous structure also increased the specific surface area to maximize the exposure of active sites and promote mass transfer during photodegradation. As a result, the as-reported p-C₃N₄ exhibited considerably higher degradation efficiency for Rhodamine B (RhB) and Methyl Orange (MO) than that of the original g-C₃N₄. Moreover, the photocatalyst showed high durability and stability in recycling experiments.