Synthesis of graphene-like g-C₃N₄/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposites with high photocatalytic activity and applications in drug delivery

Abstract

Graphene-like g-C 3 N 4 nanosheet (GCN)/Fe 3 O 4 quantum dot (QD) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by a facile electrostatic self-assembly method. Characterization shows that the GCN is at least several micrometers in size. The GCN/Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites were used as photocatalysts for degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. After irradiation for 1.5 h, the degradation efficiency was 72.5% for pure g-C 3 N 4 , 81% for GCN-1 wt% Fe 3 O 4 , 95% for GCN-2 wt% Fe 3 O 4 , 60.46% for GCN-3 wt% Fe 3 O 4 and 57.2% for GCN-4 wt% Fe 3 O 4 , indicating that GCN-2 wt% Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites had the highest photocatalytic activity. We deduce that the efficient separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the high specific surface area of GCN play important roles in the photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites. In addition, the nanocomposites can be loaded with a model drug (Rhodamine B) and the loading capacity was as high as 108.6 mg g À1 , making it a potential candidate for photocatalysis and controlled magnetically targeted drug delivery.

Synthesis of g-C 3 N 4 /CeO 2 nanocomposites with improved catalytic activity on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

“…The thin silk-like structure of g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets could be readily observed in Fig. 4a, while the darker part in the image was the wrinkle or overlap of g-C 3 N 4 [31]. The diameter of CeO 2 nanoparticles was about 20nm (Fig.…”

Two‐Dimensional Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Emerging Trends and Future Prospects

“…2D, or graphitic carbon nitride (C 3 N 4 ) is a relatively new material, having only been synthesized in the last couple of years . Ultrathin graphitic C 3 N 4 (g‐C 3 N 4 ) nanosheets were produced for the first time in 2012, and have been found to exhibit high intrinsic photoabsorption and photoresponsiveness, semiconductive properties, high stability under physiological conditions, and good in vitro biocompatibility . These properties lend the material to applications as an imaging agent, drug delivery vehicle, and in biosensing.…”

“…Doxorubicin release was achieved via a pH‐responsive mechanism: increased hydrophilicity of doxorubicin at lower pHs caused it to dissociate from the nanocarrier. In another recent trial, ultrathin C 3 N 4 –Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites were shown to have high photocatalytic efficiency . Carbon nitride nanosheets have also been shown to be an effective biosensor due to their semiconductive properties, fluorescence, and high stability under a wide variety of conditions.…”

A magnetically separable and recyclable g-C3N4/Fe3O4/porous ruthenium nanocatalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of water-soluble aromatic amines and azo dyes

“…38 Several modications, such as chemical doping with metal and non-metals, have been attempted to improve the photocatalytic activity of pure g-C 3 N 4 . [39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] On the other hand, ruthenium nanoparticles are known for their potential in various catalysis-based applications. [50][51][52][53][54][55][56] Because of their quantized nature, ruthenium nanoparticles can enhance the efficiency of photo-excited electron-hole pair separation and thereby, increase the photocatalytic activity of nanocomposites comprising g-C 3 N 4 .…”

“…Further, the separation of the catalyst can be made simpler by incorporating a magnetic support. 46,[59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68] A potentially efficient photocatalytic system would possess the combined advantages of g-C 3 N 4 , porous RuNP and magnetic Fe 3 O 4 NP. Considering this hypothesis, herein, we demonstrate the development of a ruthenium-based magnetic g-C 3 N 4 /Fe 3 O 4 /p-RuNP nanocomposite system and investigate its photocatalytic behaviour towards the decomposition of water-soluble aromatic amines and azo dyes from water bodies.…”