Graphitic Carbon Nitride Composites with Gold and ZIF-67 Nanoparticles as Visible-Light-Promoted Catalysts for CO₂ Conversion and Bisphenol A Degradation

Abstract

In this research work, the ZIF-67-coupled plasmonic-gold-incorporated porous g-C3N4 (ZIF/Au-PCN) nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized and utilized for the conversion of CO2 into useful products and Bisphenol A (BPA) decontamination. Compared to pristine PCN, the photocatalytic activities of the most active 3ZIF/1.5Au-PCN nanocomposite are enhanced by 8.0-fold for the conversion of CO2 and by 2.5-fold for BPA degradation. On the basis of our experimental results, it is verified that the porous nature increases the surface area of g-C3N4. Remarkably, the incorporation of Au exceptionally adjusts the band gap of g-C3N4 from 2.7 to 2.48 eV via the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect, while the coupling of a metal–organic framework (MOF; ZIF-67) not only enhances the surface area but also prominently enhances the charge separation of g-C3N4 via a photoelectron modulation mechanism. In addition, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, photocurrent action spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, time-resolved photoluminescence, fluorescence spectroscopy linked with •OH amount, Fourier transform infrared, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, etc., confirmed that the insertion of a noble-metal Au atom and the fabrication of a MOF offered a suitable energy platform and improved the photocatalytic activities for BPA decontamination and CO2 conversion into valuable products. Moreover, on the basis of thermogravimetric analysis and stability tests, it is proven that the as-synthesized samples are highly stable and no morphological and physiochemical changes are observed before and after various analyses and photocatalytic reactions. Hence, our present research work will manifestly open an innovative gateway and feasible strategy to prepare MOF-supported and plasmonic-assisted g-C3N4-based porous and highly efficient photocatalysts for CO2 conversion and environmental protection.

Facile Synthesis of ZIF-67 for the Adsorption of Methyl Green from Wastewater: Integrating Molecular Models and Experimental Evidence to Comprehend the Removal Mechanism

“…The crystallinity of ZIF 67 was determined using XRD JDX0 362 (Japan) with Cu Kα radiation (wavelength 1.5418) with a scan angle range of 5° to 90° with a 40 kV acceleration voltage and 30 mA current. Figure 1 d depicts the patterns of ZIF-67 which are in accordance with the simulated pattern [ 28 ]. From all of the above characterization, we found that the product was pure phase ZIF-67 materials.…”

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) to hydrocarbon fuels

“…2). [55][56][57][58][59][60] MOFs are a kind of relatively burgeoning porous crystalline organic-inorganic hybrid materials, which are assembled by the coordination effects of organic components and inorganic components. 61 There are many kinds of MOFs because of the diversity of organic and inorganic components (Fig.…”

A review on ultra‐small undoped MoS2 as advanced catalysts for renewable fuel production

“…92,93 CO 2 is a stable molecule and requires catalysts to lower the dissociation energy of the C═O bonds. [94][95][96][97] Depending on the transfer of electrons and protons, CO 2 could be reduced to various products. Abundant unsaturated coordination sites of MoS 2 can act as active centers that interact with the target products to drive multistep reactions.…”

“…Conversion of CO 2 into fuels is crucial for achieving environmental protection and addressing the energy crises 92,93 . CO 2 is a stable molecule and requires catalysts to lower the dissociation energy of the C═O bonds 94–97 . Depending on the transfer of electrons and protons, CO 2 could be reduced to various products.…”