Synthesis of ultrathin porous g-C3N4 nanofilm via template-free method for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

Constructing high-performance visible-light responsive semiconductor photocatalysts for removing organic contamination from sewage has gained considerable attention recently. Herein, an ultrathin porous g-C3N4 nanofilm is fabricated via a facile template-free strategy and the large specific area, abundant nitrogen vacancies and ultrathin porous structure endow it with broad visible-light-responsive range, narrow bandgap as well as sufficient separation of photoinduced carriers. In consequence, the ultrathin porous g-C3N4 nanofilm exhibits prominent photocatalytic tetracycline (TC) degradation performance and high re-action rate constant under the visible light, which is upto 8.57 folds efficiency improvement over the bulk g-C3N4. Meanwhile, it also exhibits excellent performance with the irradiation of UV-vis light and actual sunlight. This work delivers a brand-new template-free approach to prepare ultrathin porous g-C3N4 na-nofilm, and provides a deeper understanding of photocatalytic TC degradation for practical applications.(c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.