Can the treatment of urea-derived g-C3N4 with H2SO4 be optimized by varying the acid concentration to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction?

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A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
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2025-11-25

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Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering

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en

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Applied Catalysis A: General, Volume 707

Abstract

Urea-derived g-C3N4 (BCN) was treated with H2SO4 at different concentrations: very dilute (0.04 M), dilute (1 M and 4 M) and concentrated, with or without KMnO4. Increasing concentration led to a decrease in specific surface area (Sp), widening of the band gap (BG) and an increase in the acidic group content. Structural reorganization after the dissolution in concentrated H2SO4 led to the formation of much larger particles, especially when KMnO4 was used. These samples had much lower Sp, wider BG, and a large difference in electron-hole recombination rates, which was attributed to different distributions of oxygen-containing groups. Despite the reduction in Sp, the H2SO4-treated samples exhibited a higher efficiency of Cr(VI) reduction under UV than BCN. Conversely, the enlarged BG affected the activity of the modified samples under visible light. The Cr(VI) reduction is dependent on pH during photocatalysis, which decreases as the content and acidity of surface groups increases.

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| openaire: EC/H2020/952033/EU//ExcellMater

Keywords

Cr(VI), G-C3N4, Modification, Photocatalytic reduction, Sulfuric acid, Visible light

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DOI

10.1016/j.apcata.2025.120506

Citation

Petrović, J, Radovanović, Ž, Kamal, K M, Medić, M, Kuzman, S, Gasik, M, Popović, M, Janaćković, Đ, Likozar, B & Petrović, R 2025, 'Can the treatment of urea-derived g-C 3 N 4 with H 2 SO 4 be optimized by varying the acid concentration to enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction?', Applied Catalysis A: General, vol. 707, 120506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2025.120506

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202510017436

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[article-cris] Kemian tekniikan korkeakoulu / CHEM