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Numerous defects induced by exfoliation of boron-doped g-C3N4 towards active sites modulation for highly efficient solar-to-fuel conversion

Research Authors
Mahmoud Kamal Hussien, Amr Sabbah, Mohammad Qorbani, Mohamed Hammad Elsayed, Shaham Quadir, Putikam Raghunath, Der-Lii M Tzou, Shu-Chih Haw, Ho-Hsiu Chou, Nguyen Quoc Thang, M-C Lin, Li-Chyong Chen, Kuei-Hsien Chen
Research Abstract

Graphitic carbon nitride (CN) has emerged as a highly promising material in the photocatalysis field. However, its bulk structure suffers from a lack of active sites, limiting its practical application. Herein, a boron-doped CN (BCN) was prepared by a green gas-blowing-assisted thermal polymerization and then subjected to different exfoliation processes in order to delaminate the layered structure and tune the surface-active sites. A thorough comparative study shows that thermal exfoliation creates unsaturated nitrogen sites and induces the formation of interconnected layers that act as an electron diffusion channel for better charge transport. Furthermore, the thermally exfoliated BCN is rich in structural disorders that serve as dissociation defects for photoinduced charge carriers with a low exciton binding energy of 27 meV. Experimental results supported by theoretical calculations show that the nitrogen adjacent to 

Research Date
Research Department
Research Journal
Materials Today Sustainability
Research Member
Research Year
2023