Heterogeneous single-atom doped 2D-layered graphitic carbon nitride electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction and removal of toxic heavy metal ion Cr from Wastewater

The 2D-layered graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) has been a well-known electro-photocatalyst to have wide applications in energy storage, energy evolution, and environmental remediation. The physicochemical properties of the bulk, O-doped (O-gCN), and hetero atom are compared, which is further utilized as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reactions (OER) process. The prepared nanosheets exhibited a layered structure with a uniform porous nature. Moreover, the forbidden energy bandgap (Eg) of 1.7 eV is observed, which is lower than bulk and O-doped gCN. The heteroatom BO-gCN nanosheets have higher OER activity compared to other samples and benchmark catalysts. The BO-gCN nanosheets exhibit a lower overpotential and Tafel potential of 240 mV and 207 mV/dec, respectively. Effects of various operating parameters such as photocatalyst dosage and solution pH are investigated. The photocatalytic removal results exhibited BO-gCN can be a robust and effective catalyst for the removal of Cr ions in environmental remediation.