Role of precursors on photocatalytic behavior of graphitic carbon nitride

Current study is about synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) photocatalyst by thermal condensation of various nitrogen rich precursors and their photocatalytic performance towards visible light induced degradation of acid violet 7 dye (AV 7). To understand the effect of precursors on degree of tri-s-triazine ring condensation and its electronic properties, we used different N-rich monomers (e.g. melamine (m), urea (u) and thiourea (t)) and their combinations. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the prepared samples were characterized by powder XRD, SEM and UV-DRS. The photocatalytic degradation of AV 7 (20 mg/L) under visible light irradiation over various g-C3N4 samples have exhibited substantial difference in photocatalytic activity, which is attributed to altered electronic structure and increased surface area. The photocatalytic activity for the degradation of AV7 follows the order: ug-C3N4 > tug-C3N4 > mug-C3N4 > mtug-C3N4 > mg-C3N4 > mtg-C3N4 > tg-C3N4.