Porous Graphitic Carbon Nitride-Based Photocatalysts for Antibiotic Degradation

Review Porous Graphitic Carbon Nitride-Based Photocatalysts for Antibiotic Degradation Zhaoqiang Wang 1, Guixiang Ding 1, Juntao Zhang 1, Peng Wang 2, Qi Lv 3, Yonghao Ni 4 and Guangfu Liao 1,* 1 National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China 2 Shandong Chambroad Petrochemicals Co., Ltd., Binzhou 256500, China 3 PCFM Lab, GD HPPC Lab, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China 4 Department of Chemical Engineering, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada * Correspondence: liaogf@mail2.sysu.edu.cn Received: 29 November 2023; Revised: 18 January 2024; Accepted: 24 January 2024; Published: 5 March 2024 Abstract: Photocatalytic technology is a promising strategy for solving antibiotic pollution present in the water system. Porous carbon nitride (PCN) material has been considered as a potential candidate to solve the above problem due to the abundant reaction sites, large specific surface area and narrow band gap. Recently, substantial research focus on promoting photocatalytic activity of PCN-based material via improving photogenerated carrier separation and band gap structure has been completed. However, only a few works summarize and discuss the results of research on photocatalytic antibiotic degradation by PCN-based photocatalysts in recent years. Thus, a review on recent developments in PCN-based photocatalysts research is urgently needed to further promote its advancement. In this review, the synthesis strategies, structure design and photocatalytic application of antibiotic degradation over PCN-based photocatalysts are listed in detail. Finally, a brief conclusion has been discussed deeply, which focuses on the future challenges and expectations of PCN-based photocatalysts for photocatalytic antibiotic degradation. This review offers a novel viewpoint on the use of PCN-based material in photocatalytic antibiotic degradation and highlights its significant potential as a photocatalyst. In short, the application of PCN-based materials in the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics is very promising, according to objective assessments.