Extended π-conjugative n-p type homostructural graphitic carbon nitride for photodegradation and charge-storage applications

Abstract

An n-p type homostructural metal-free graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) semiconductor is designed and developed for pollutant abatement and energy storage application. The successful grafting of vibrio-like morphology-based g-C 3 N 4 by 2, 5-Thiophenedicarboxylic acid (TDA) molecule and the development of amide-type linkage substantiated the prosperous uniting of g-C 3 N 4 with organic TDA moiety is demonstrated. An extended π-conjugative TDA grafted g-C 3 N 4 exhibited band gap tunability with broadband optical absorbance in the visible region. Mott-Schottky analysis exhibited the formation of n-p type homostructural property. As a result, obtained TDA grafted g-C 3 N 4 has extended π-conjugation, high surface area and adequate separation of charge carriers. The change in the photocatalytic performance of grafted g-C 3 N 4 is inspected for degradation of acid violet 7 (AV 7) dye under visible light irradiation. The charge storage capacity of grafted g-C 3 N 4 was additionally assessed for supercapacitive behaviour. The charge capacitive studies of grafted g-C 3 N 4 exhibited the areal capacitance of 163.17 mF cm −2 and robust cyclic stability of 1000 cycles with capacity retention of 83%.