Reduced graphene oxide supported C3N4 nanoflakes and quantum dots as metal-free catalysts for visible light assisted CO2 reduction

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology

Md Rakibuddin^1¹ 

[1] School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea^1

关键词: CO2 reduction;    metal-free hybrid;    nanoflakes;    photocatalyst;    quantum dots;   

DOI  :  10.3762/bjnano.10.44

学科分类：地球科学(综合)

来源: Beilstein - Institut zur Foerderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften

【 摘 要 】

The visible light photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to fuel is crucial for the sustainable development of energy resources. In our present work, we report the synthesis of novel reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-supported C₃N₄ nanoflake (NF) and quantum dot (QD) hybrid materials (GCN) for visible light induced reduction of CO₂. The C₃N₄ NFs and QDs are prepared by acid treatment of C₃N₄ nanosheets followed by ultrasonication and hydrothermal heating at 130–190 °C for 5−20 h. It is observed that hydrothermal exposure of acid-treated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets at low temperature generated larger NFs, whereas QDs are formed at higher temperatures. The formation of GCN hybrid materials was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV–vis spectroscopy. High-resolution TEM images clearly show that C₃N₄ QDs (average diameter of 2–3 nm) and NFs (≈20–45 nm) are distributed on the rGO surface within the GCN hybrid material. Among the as-prepared GCN hybrid materials, GCN-5 QDs exhibit excellent CO₂ reductive activity for the generation of formaldehyde, HCHO (10.3 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹). Therefore, utilization of metal-free carbon-based GCN hybrid materials could be very promising for CO₂ photoreduction because of their excellent activity and environmental sustainability.

【 授权许可】

CC BY