Liquid–Liquid-Printed Graphitic Carbon Nitride-Embedded Porous Poly(ionic liquid) Beads as Highly Active Reusable Heterogenous Photocatalysts

Abstract

In this study, we report the synthesis of photocatalytically active composite beads by incorporating graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) into a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) matrix. Characterization of these composite beads revealed a highly porous surface structure, with g-CN uniformly embedded throughout the matrix. We assessed the photocatalytic performance of these beads using a thiol−ene click reaction, photocatalytic dye degradation, and hydrogen evolution reactions. Our findings clearly demonstrate the significant enhancement in photocatalytic activity attributable to the poly(ionic ligand) matrix, surpassing the performance of nonionic polymer matrices. This work highlights the potential of g-CN/PIL composite beads as reusable efficient photocatalytic materials for diverse applications such as hydrogen evolution, dye degradation, and selective organic reactions.