Bandgap engineering of carbon nitride by formic acid assisted thermal treatment for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride

Carbon nitride had unique structure and electronic properties, and had wide application prospects in the field of photocatalysis. However, the rapid photogenerated carrier recombination efficiency and low photocatalytic activity limit its use. Defect construction was considered to be an effective strategy to improve the photocatalytic activity of carbon nitride. In this paper, nitrogen defective carbon nitride was prepared by formic acid assisted pyrolysis. The formic acid was used to regulate the top atoms and effectively shorten the band gap. Second, the gas released during pyrolysis contributed to the construction of porous structures. SEM, TEM, BET, XPS were used to confirm the presence of nitrogen defective sites. When it was used to photocatalyze the degradation of tetracycline, the main antibiotic pollutant in Dongting Lake, the degradation rate of 95.1 % was achieved in 60 min. Compared with conventional carbon nitride, the degradation rate constants were 0.04751 min−1 and 0.02110 min−1, respectively. Compared with CN, the degradation rate constant of FCN-5 was increased 2.2 times. The photocatalytic degradation activity was verified by photochemical experiments. •O2– and 1O2 active radicals dominate the photocatalytic degradation process. The ecological safety of Dongting Lake water samples repaired by defective carbon nitride has been confirmed, and the toxicity of antibiotics to the germination and growth of legumes has been effectively alleviated. Five cycles of the experiments ensured that the material can be reused. The above work provided reference and basis for the development and design of defective carbon nitride for water body restoration in Dongting Lake basin.