Facile One-Step Synthesis of Hybrid Graphitic Carbon Nitride and Carbon Composites as High-Performance Catalysts for CO2 Photocatalytic Conversion

Utilizing and reducing carbon dioxide is a key target in the fight against global warming. The photocatalytic performance of bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is usually limited by its low surface area and rapid charge carrier recombination. To develop g-C3N4 more suitable for photocatalysis, researchers have to enlarge its surface area and accelerate the charge carrier separation. In this work, novel hybrid graphitic carbon nitride and carbon (H-g-C3N4/C) composites with various carbon contents have been developed for the first time by a facile one-step pyrolysis method using melamine and natural soybean oil as precursors. The effect of carbon content on the structure of H-g-C3N4/C composites and the catalytic activity for the photoreduction of CO2 with H2O were investigated. The results indicated that the introduction of carbon component can effectively improve the textural properties and electronic conductivity of the composites, which exhibited imporved photocatalytic activity for the reduction of CO2 with H2O in comparison with bulk g-C3N4. The highest CO and CH4 yield of 22.60 μmol/g-cat. and 12.5 μmol/g-cat., respectively, were acquired on the H-g-C3N4/C-6 catalyst with the carbon content of 3.77 wt % under 9 h simulated solar irradiation, which were more than twice as high as that of bulk g-C3N4. The remarkably increased photocatalytic performance arises from the synergistic effect of hybrid carbon and g-C3N4.